UC-NRLF 


HnMOMMMBmH 


waniifBiaKi 


And  Other  Folk 


^is      ^Mitiittfy 


"<v 


EDUCATIONAL  PUBLISHING  CO 


[ 


FIVE  LITTLE  FOXES 

AND  OTHER 

FOLKS  OF  LAND  AND  SEA 


BY 
NELLIE    LATHROP   HELM 


EDUCATIONAL    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 

BOSTON 

New  York  Chicago  San  Francisco 


Copyright,  1912 

BY 

EDUCATIONAL   PUBLISHING    COMPANY 


CONTENTS 


Five  Little  Foxes 
The  Seals 
The  Otter    . 
The  Beavers    . 
The  Bear  Family 
The  Raccoons 
The  Rabbits 
The  Squirrels 
Facts  in  Stories    . 


Page 

5 

23 

45 

63 

85 

105 

125 

145 

167 


261165 


6  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

was.  "How  nice!"  said  one,  looking  beyond  the 
tangle  of  bushes  that  hid  their  home  from  view. 

"I  wonder  what  it's  made  of,"  said  another. 
"Must  be  what  mother  calls  trees,"  said  a  third. 

"Seems  pretty  big,"  said  the  little  sister;  "think 
I'll  go  in." 

Back  through  the  narrow  entrance  they  crept, 
into  a  large  room  where  they  could  walk  about  with 
ease.  It  was  perfectly  dark,  but  they  did  not  mind 
it,  for  their  eyes  were  made  so  they  could  see  better 
in  the  dark  than  in  the  light. 

This  room  was  used  for  a  store-room,  when  there 
was  any  food  to  store.  Now  it  was  quite  empty. 
Unless  the  mother  should  bring  something  home  the 
little  ones  would  go  supperless  to  bed.  Still  farther 
beyond  was  another  room,  where  the  father  w^as 
sleeping  and  where  only  a  few  weeks  before  the 
baby  foxes  were  born. 

This  comfortable  home  was  not  made  by  the 
foxes.  No,  indeed!  That  was  the  kind  of  work 
they  liked  to  have  someone  else  do.     A  hard-working 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  7 

rabbit  had  prepared  this  for  her  little  family.  The 
foxes,  out  house-hunting  one  spring  day,  had  fol- 
lowed   her    home    and  —  when    the    rabbit   was    no 


WHERE    WE    LIVE 


longer  in  need  of  a  home,  why  should  the  foxes  nof 
take  it  ?  All  they  needed  to  do  was  to  make  it  larger, 
and  so  they  were  settled. 


8  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"Mother's  coming,"  said  one,  after  what  seemed 
a  long  time  to  the  hungry  little  foxes.  "I  hope  she's 
brought  mice."  "I  don't,"  said  his  brother;  "I 
like  rabbit  better."  "I'm  hungry  enough  to  eat 
anything,"  said  a  third. 

But  as  the  mother  crept  in  and  laid  before  them 
what  looked  like  a  mass  of  rumpled  feathers,  five 
little  voices  were  raised  in  a  disappointed  whine. 
They  had  never  seen  anything  like  this  before. 

"Hush!"  said  the  mother.  "This  is  the  best 
supper  I  ever  brought  you." 

"What  is  it?"   asked  one. 

"Chicken,"  said  the  mother.  "Eat  it  and  see 
how  good  it  is." 

The  sound  of  their  voices  woke  the  father  and 
he  walked  slowly  out  where  they  stood  about  the 
chicken,  eyeing  it  doubtfully.  When  he  saw  it  his 
eyes  flashed  like  sparks  of  fire  in  the  darkness  and 
his  jaws  came  together  with  a  snap  that  made  his 
children  jump.  He  seemed  to  have  no  doubts  as 
to  its  merits.     He  was  hungry,  too,  but  he,  as  well 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


he  asked.     In  a  low 


as  the  mother,  would  rather  starve  than  take  food 
from  his  children. 

"Where  did  you  find  it?" 
tone  the  mother  told  him. 
"Any  more  there  ?"  he  asked. 
She  nodded  and  he  went  out. 

"Where  do  chickens  live, 
mother?"  asked  one  of  the 
little  ones,  who  was  showing 
his  approval  of  the  new  dainty 
by  trying  to  get  his  brother's 
share.  "They  live  in  farm- 
yards," she  said,  "where 
there  are  dogs  and  men, 
too." 

"Are  they  good  to 
eat?"  asked  the  inno- 
cent little  sister. 

"No,"  she  replied,  "they  are  our  greatest  ene- 
mies. They  think  the  chickens,  and  most  of  the 
world  besides,  belong  to  them;    but  we  foxes  have 


TAKING    HIS    PICK 


io  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

some  rights.  We  have  to  eat,  and  —  well,  never 
fear,  I'll  teach  you  how  to  get  a  good  living.  A 
little  danger  only  makes  it  more  fun.  You're  old 
enough  now  to  have  your  first  lessons.  So  go  to 
bed  like  good  children  and  to-morrow  we'll  begin." 

When  the  little  foxes  followed  their  mother  out 
of  the  burrow,  after  she  had  looked  about  to  see  if 
all  was  safe,  they  found  a  bright  sunlight  shining 
through  a  tangle  of  bushes  and  over-hanging  trees 
that  surrounded  them.  The  bright  light  quite 
blinded  their  eyes,  so  used  to  the  darkness. 

They  peeped  cautiously  about,  looking  curiously 
at  their  mother  and  each  other,  who  looked  strange 
in  the  brightness.  No  one  would  ever  have  sus- 
pected them  of  being  their  mother's  children.  She 
had  a  broad,  flat  head,  sharp,  thin  nose,  and  keen 
narrow  eyes,  over  which  stood,  straight  and  stiff, 
two  pointed  ears.  Her  body  was  long  and  slender, 
although  her  thick  fur  made  her  look  rounder  and 
plumper  than  she  really  was.  In  color  she  was  a 
reddish  yellow,  with   a   darker   stripe  on   her  back 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  n 

and  a  white  one  running  underneath  her  body. 
Her  ears,  nose,  slender,  short  legs  and  tip  of  tail 
were  black.  This  tail  was  long,  plumy,  and 
graceful,  of  the  same  ruddy  color  as  the  body. 
Altogether    she    was    a    beautiful    creature    as    she 


THE    HAPPY    FAMILY 


stood   with   one    cat-like    paw   raised   as  though   in 
warning. 

Her  five  children  gathered  around  her,  thrusting 
their  little  snub-noses  impudently  into  her  sides. 
Their  heads  were  round,  their  noses  short,  and  their 
bodies  looked  like  yellowish  gray  balls  of  wool,  from 
each  of  which  one  stiff  end  had  become  unwound 
and  stood  in  place  of  a  tail.     It  was  hard  to  believe 


12  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

that  these  stiff  ends  would  grow  to  be  graceful 
"brushes,"  such  as  trailed  behind  the  mother. 

But  now  they  seemed  to  amuse  their  owners 
very  much,  for  soon  five  little  woolly  balls  were 
rolling  and  tumbling  over  the  ground  trying  to 
catch  their  tails  in  their  mouths,  as  though  to  wind 
them  up  and  so  keep  the  balls  from  unwinding 
altogether. 

Then  a  step  was  heard  coming  through  the 
forest.  The  mother,  always  on  guard  to  protect 
her  little  ones,  called  them  to  her  and  placed  herself 
between  them  and  the  approaching  danger.  But  as 
the  step  came  nearer  the  look  of  anxiety  left  her 
face,  for  soon  the  father  came  through  the  under- 
brush, carrying  a  chicken  in  his  mouth.  He  laid  it 
beside  the  little  group  that  awaited  him.  Instantly 
he  was  gone,  only  to  return  with  another.  Again 
he  went,  and  when  he  returned  a  fine  turkey  lay 
across  his  back  as  he  held  it  by  the  neck  with  his 
sharp  teeth.  No  fear  of  his  family  going  hungry 
now.     His  night's  work  had  been  a  success. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


[3 


"  Bow-wow-wow!" 

With  sudden  harshness  the  sound  rang  through 
the  quiet  woods.  "To  the  burrow,  for  your  lives!" 
cried  the  mother. 

Such  a  scramble  as  there  was  as  the  little  ones, 


WHAT  S    THAT  : 


trembling  with  fear,  fled  to  the  farthest  corner  of 
the  sheltering  burrow!  The  father  and  mother 
waited  until  they  were  safe,  then  seizing  the  fowls 
that  had  cost  too  much  effort  to  be  given  up  now, 
they  followed. 


14  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

They  were  none  too  soon,  for  a  great  hound 
bounded  through  the  thicket  in  time  to  see  the  tip 
of  the  father's  tail  disappear  within  the  rocky  re- 
treat. He  pawed  and  barked  and  sniffed  about  the 
narrow  hole,  but  the  little  family  were  safe  in  the 
depth  of  the  rocky  hillside,  although  even  there  the 
little  ones  trembled  to  hear  his  panting  breath. 
Then  all  grew  still  again.  "He's  gone,"  said  the 
father  fox.     "Let  us  have  our  breakfast  now." 

"Will  he  come  again?"  asked  one  of  the  little 
foxes. 

"No  doubt,"  the  father  answered  coolly.  "Dogs 
don't  forget.  He  tried  to  catch  me  last  night,  but 
I  outwitted  him  and  I  can  do  it  again." 

"But  what  about  us?"  asked  one,  which  the 
rest  echoed  with  a  frightened  whine.  "We  don't 
know  how." 

"I'll  teach  you,"  said  the  mother,  cheerily. 
"You  wouldn't  be  foxes  if  you  couldn't  soon  learn 
to  run  faster  than  a  dog." 

"To  be  able  to  run  is  not  all  of  it,"  said  the 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  15 

father,  with  a  sly  twinkle  in  his  eye.     "No  child  of 

mine  must  let  a  stupid  dog  out-do  him  in  cunning." 

"Well,"  said  the  mother,  "dogs  shall  not  trouble 

I 


»/  I  r     '^ 


VERY    MUCH    INTERESTED 

you  until  you  are  old  enough  to  treat  them  as  they 
deserve.     I'll  see  to  that." 

Every  day  after  this  the  little  ones  went  out  to 
romp  in  the  sunshine  and  practised  the  arts  of  catch- 
ing insects  and  little  birds  under  the  mother's  careful 
teaching.     As  they  grew  more  skilful,  she  led  them  to 


1 6  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

catch  larger  game  and  soon  they  kept  the  family 
store-room  well  supplied. 

When  the  spring  days  had  given  place  to  summer, 
they  had  begun  to  look  more  like  their  mother,  al- 
though as  their  fur  lost  its  woolly  look  there  was 
quite  a  difference  in  their  color.  One  was  more 
yellow  than  the  rest,  another  was  redder,  while  a 
third  was  tinged  with  black.  Little  did  he  know 
what  a  rare  prize  this  black-tinted  coat  would  make 
him  some  day  in  the  eyes  of  any  hunter  whose  path 
he  should  be  unlucky  enough  to  cross. 

But,  oh,  the  sly  tricks  that  mother  taught  her 
children,  and  the  jolly  times  they  had  together!  The 
little  foxes  soon  learned  to  keep  their  secrets,  and  as 
no  one  else  saw  what  they  did,  who  can  tell  about  it  ? 

One  morning  the  mother  came  home  from  a 
night  of  roaming,  her  beautiful  brush  trailing  and 
heavy  with  dew. 

"I  found  a  fine  corn-field  last  night,"  she  said. 
"I  think  we  had  better  go  there  to  live.  It's  time 
for  us  to  leave  the  burrow." 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  17 

Moving  was  a  simple  matter  with  nothing  more 
to  move  than  their  own  lively  bodies.  As  they 
started,  the  father  said,  "Good-bye,  I'm  going 
this  way."  And  he  disappeared  through  the 
wood . 

"Why  doesn t  he  come  with  us?"  asked  the 
little  sister. 

"Oh,  he  thinks  we  can  take  care  of  ourselves 
now,"  said  the  mother,  cautiously  leading  the  way 
through  the  thicket,  among  the  under-bushes,  over 
rocks,  wherever  shelter  could  be  found  in  case  of 
sudden  alarm. 

"What  is  corn  good  for,  mother?"  asked  her 
black-tinted  son. 

"To  hide  in,"  she  replied,  shortly.  "There's  no 
end  to  the  good  things  in  a  corn-field,  besides  corn." 

"Is  this  corn?"  asked  one,  as  they  crossed  a 
sloping  hillside. 

"No,"  said  the  mother,  "these  are  grape-vines. 
Just  wait  until  the  grapes  are  ripe.  Then  you'll 
see  what  is  good." 


1 8  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"Are  they  as  good  as  mice?"  asked  the  yellow 
one. 

"Mice  are  mice,  and  grapes  are  grapes,"  was 
the  reply;  "but  here  we  are  at  the  corn-field." 

They  found  plenty  of  the  food  they  liked  best 
here  and  the  owner  of  the  field  never  knew  how 
much  of  the  abundance  of  his  crop  he  owed  to  a 
certain  little  family  that  he  would  have  been  eager 
to  kill  had  he  discovered  their  presence,  not  knowing 
that  it  was  they  who  killed  the  birds,  insects,  and 
mice  that  had  come  there  to  eat  his  grain.  But  the 
harvest  time  came  and  the  corn  was  cut. 

Then  they  moved  to  a  swamp  near  by,  where  a 
hollow  log  was  turned  into  a  den  for  the  rest  of  the 
autumn. 

One  day  the  barking  of  dogs  and  the  rapid 
scurry  of  horses'  hoofs  were  heard  in  the  distant 
cornfield.  The  mother  looked  up  quickly.  Straight 
toward  them  she  saw  a  fox  running  and  leaping, 
whom  she  instantly  saw   was  her  mate. 

"Run  to  the  den!"    she  cried   to  the  children. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  19 

"Keep  perfectly  still.  I  will  protect  you,  even  with 
my  life." 

Then  she  waved  her  brush  to  her  mate.  He 
saw  her,  and  quick  as  a  thought  he  turned  to  one 
side  and  led  away  from  the  place  where  he  knew 
his  little  family  lay  in  hiding. 

The  dogs  followed.  So  did  the  hunters.  He 
had  saved  them. 

Then  the  mother  called  the  children  with  a  sharp 
bark.  "Run  to  the  old  burrow,"  she  said.  "It  is 
not  safe  here." 

Farther  and  farther  away  went  the  sound  of  the 
hunters.     The  old  fox  was  leading  them  a  fine  chase. 

"I  want  to  stay  here,  mother,"  said  one  of  her 
bold  young  sons.     "The  danger  is  past." 

So,  as  the  rest  went  away,  he  stayed  alone  roam- 
ing about  the  swamp.  Suddenly,  as  he  stood  with 
his  head  down  in  the  tall  grass,  the  hunters  came 
upon  him,  the  weary  dogs  now  following.  There 
was  no  escape.     But  his  wit  did  not  desert  him. 

Instantly  he  fell  to  the  ground,  where  he  lay  limp 


20  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

and  apparently  lifeless.  "Ho!"  cried  one  of  the 
hunters.  "Here  is  a  dead  fox.  What  could  have 
killed  him?  He's  younger  than  the  one  hanging 
there  from  your  saddle  —  but  he's  enough  like  him 
to  be  his  son.  I'll  take  him,  though  it  isn't  a  great 
honor  to  take  a  dead  fox.  But  he's  dead,  that  is 
certain." 

He  lifted  the  fox  by  the  tail,  stretched  him  out 
on  the  ground,  and  the  dogs  came  and  smelt  of  him. 

Still  and  limp  he  lay. 

"That  log  yonder  looks  like  it  had  been  in  use," 
he  said.  "Let  us  take  a  look  at  it.  I'll  leave  this 
fellow  here  until  we  come  back.     A  dead  fox  is  safe." 

Off  they  went,  but  soon  a  sharp,  short  bark  fell 
on  their  ears.  Looking  about  they  saw  their  prize, 
no  longer  dead,  galloping  away  toward  the  distant 
woods,  looking  back  at  them  as  he  went. 

"Well,  I  never!"  exclaimed  the  outwitted  hunter. 
"Of  all  the  tricks  foxes  have  ever  played  me,  this  is 
the  worst.     Come,  let  us  go  home." 

When  the  young  fox  told  his  story  in  the  safety 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  21 

of  the  old  burrow,  the  mother  listened,  her  graceful 
brush  waving  proudly  from  side  to  side.  "No  need 
for  your  mother  to  teach  you  any  more,"  she  said. 
"You  can  look  out  for  yourself." 

When  they  left  the  burrow  again  it  was  to  sep- 
arate, each  going  his  own  way  to  practice  the  arts 
that  their  devoted  mother  had  taught  them  so  well. 


t»Si 


X1K3> 


\\# 


^J^j,«* 


THE   SEALS 

"What  a  beautiful  new  cap!"  exclaimed  Aunt 
Mary,  as  Tom  came  into  her  room,  quite  forget- 
ting where  his  cap  should  be  when  in  her  presence. 
"Where  did  you  get  it?" 

"Santa  Claus  brought  it,"  said  Tom,  proudly, 
taking  off  his  cap  not,  I  fear,  from  politeness,  but 
that  he,  too,  might  see  its  beauties. 

"Where  did  Santa  Claus  get  it?"  asked  Aunt 
Mary,  smiling. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  Tom.  "I  never  thought 
about  it." 

"What  is  it  made  of?"  asked  his  aunt. 

"Seal-skin,"  answered  Tom,  promptly.  "It  is 
just  what  I  wanted." 

"You   know  where   seal-skins   are   found,   don't 

you  ?"    asked  his  aunt,  smiling  at  his  eager  face. 

"On  seals,  I  suppose,"  said  Tom. 

23 


24  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"Oh,  auntie,"  said  Mabel,  who  had  followed 
Tom  into  the  room,  "please  tell  us  about  the  seals. 
It  wou'd  be  so  much  nicer  to  know  about  them." 

"Well,"  said  Aunt  Mary,  "sit  down  and  we'll 
have  a  little  talk. 

"Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  country,"  she  said, 
when  they  were  settled  in  their  favorite  seats  beside 
her,  "where  the  winters  are  very,  very  long  and  cold, 
and  the  sun  is  not  seen  for  several  months?" 

"Yes,  auntie,"  said  Tom.  "Greenland.  Es- 
kimos live  there." 

"Yes,"  said  Aunt  Mary,  "I  was  thinking  of 
Greenland  and  I  thought  of  the  Eskimos,  too. 
What  do  you  suppose  makes  it  possible  for  them  to 
live  there  ?" 

"I  don't  know,  auntie,"  said  Tom;  "please 
tell  us." 

"It  is  the  seals,"  she  replied. 

"How?"  asked  Mabel. 

"By  being  useful  not  only  for  food  and  clothing 
but  for  many  other  things  they  need.     Every  part 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  25 

of  the  seal  is  used  for  something.  They  have  other 
animals,  but  the  seal  is  more  to  them  than  all  the 
rest." 

"I  say,  auntie,"  exclaimed  Tom,  stroking  the 
soft  fur  of  his  cap,  "they  must  look  very  fine  if  all 
their  clothes  are  like  this.  Do  all  the  Eskimo 
ladies  wear  cloaks  like  mamma's?" 

"Ah!"  laughed  Aunt  Mary,  "the  Eskimo's  clothes 
are  very  different  from  this  soft  fur.  Their  furs 
are  not  the  same  as  these  and  are  prepared  very 
differently. 

"Here  is  a  picture  of  a  little  Eskimo  boy.  Shall 
I  tell  you  about  him  and  how  he  lives?" 

"Oh,  do,  auntie!"  exclaimed  Tom  and  Mabel 
in  a  breath.     "How  funny  he  looks!" 

"This  little  boy's  name  is  Magda,"  said  Aunt 
Mary.     "What  do  you  suppose  he  is  doing  now?" 

"How  can  we  know,  auntie?  Please  tell  us," 
said  Tom,  who  liked  to  be  told  things.  Aunt  Mary 
leaned  back  in  her  chair  with  a  far-away  look  in 
her  eyes.     The  children  waited.     Auntie  was  a  great 


26 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


story-teller,  but  they  knew  they  must  let  her  tell 
her  story  in  her  own  way.  It  was  always  the  best 
way,  they  thought. 

Then  she  began: 

"It    is  very   dark,  and   oh!     so    cold,    but    it    is 


not  night.  The  only  light  to  be  seen  is  a  faint  rosy 
light  in  the  south,  far  across  a  great  field  of  ice  cov- 
ered with  snow.  Everywhere  there  is  nothing  but 
snow. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  27 

A  group  of  little  snow  houses  that  could  not  be 
told  from  the  snow  field  except  for  their  form,  cling 
to  the  sloping  hillside. 

"Two  Eskimos  with  a  team  of  eight  dogs 
fastened  to  a  sledge,  are  making  their  way  down 
the  snowy  path  to  the  snowfield  before  them.  They 
are  Magda  and  his  father,  dressed  in  furs  from  the 
big  hoods  on  their  heads  to  the  clumsy  shoes  on 
their  feet.  Under  their  outer  suits  of  fur  they  have 
another,  made  with  the  fur  turned  inside,  and  under 
this  is  a  shirt  made  of  the  skins  of  the  eider  ducks, 
with  the  soft,  downy  feathers  next  to  the  body. 

"Do  you  think  that  the  coldest  cold  that  ever 
was  could  get  through  that  ?  It  is  very  cold,  but 
they  do  not  feel  it.     How  could  they  ? 

"  'Here  is  a  spear  for  you,  Magda,'  his  father  is 
saying. 

"Magda  looks  so  proud  that  I  suspect  it  is  the 
first  time  he  has  had  a  spear,  although  ever  since 
he  could  walk  he  has  had  a  bow  and  arrow.  He  is 
a  born  hunter,  as  all  his  people  are." 


28  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"How  old  is  Magda,  auntie?"    asked  Mabel. 

"If  you  should  ask  him,"  said  Aunt  Mary,  smil- 
ing, "he  would  say,  'I  am  twelve  suns  old.'  You  see 
they  love  the  sun  so  much  that  they  count  their  years 
by  the  number  of  times  they  have  seen   his  face." 

"Please   go  on  with  the  story,"  said  Tom. 

"  'You  must  ride,  Magda,'  the  father  is  say- 
ing, "for  we     may  have  to  go  a  long  way.' 

"So  Magda  mounts  the  sled  that  is  covered  with 
a  big  reindeer  skin  while  his  father  walks  beside  him 
guiding  the  dogs,  with  a  long  whip. 

"Out  on  the  snowfield  they  go.  The  rosy  light 
in  the  south  grows  stronger.  The  short  daylight 
is  coming.  To  their  eyes,  so  used  to  the  darkness, 
the  dim  light  seems  quite  bright.  Not  a  word  is 
spoken  as  they  watch  the  smooth  crust  of  the  snow 
closely." 

"What  are  they  looking  for?"   asked  Tom. 

"We  shall  see,"  said  his  aunt. 

"The  small  village  of  'igloos,'  as  they  call  their 
snow  houses,  is  left  far  behind. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  29 

"Suddenly  Magda  exclaims,  'There,  father,  there 
is  a  hole,  but  it  is  too  small  to  be  what  we  are  looking 
for!' 

"'Good,  Magda!'  cries  the  father.  'It  is  the 
very  thing!' 

"They  examine  it  closely.  It  is  a  small  round 
hole  through  the  snow  that  extends  down  through 
the  ice.     It  is  called  a  'blow  hole.'  ' 

"What  made  it?"  asked  Mabel. 

"A  seal,'  said  Aunt  Mary.  "Seals  cannot  live 
long  in  the  water  without  breathing,  so  during  the 
winter  they  keep  these  little  holes  through  the  ice  and 
snow  where  they  may  come  to  the  surface  to  breathe." 

"If  the  hole  is  so  small  how  can  the  Eskimos 
see  the  seals?"  asked  Tom. 

"They  do  not  need  to  see  them,"  replied  Aunt 
Mary.  "They  hear  them.  There  is  no  sound 
better  known  to  the  Eskimos  than  the  sound  of 
seal  'blowing,'  as  they  call  it.  The  moment  they  hea, 
it  they  strike  through  the  snow  with  their  spears, 
and   if  they  are   quick  enough  the  seal  is  caught." 


30  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"Go    on    about    Magda,    auntie,    please,"    said 
Mabel. 

"While    we     have     been     talking,"     she     said, 


"Magda's  father  has  been  cutting  a  block  of  the 
hard  snow  and  placing  it  beside  the  hole. 

"  'You  stay  here,'  he  says  to  Magda,  'while  I 
go  and  look  for  another  hole.'     He  does  not  know 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


3i 


how  far  he  may  have  to  go,  for  although  seals  can 
live  so  short  a  time  without  breathing,  they  swim 
so  fast  that  they  can  go  a  long  way  in  this  time." 


"How  do  they  keep  from  breathing?"  asked 
Tom. 

"They  are  able  to  close  their  nostrils  and  keep 
them  closed  while  in  the  water.  This  keeps  the 
water  from  going  into  them  as  well  as  helps  to  hold 
the  breath. 

"  Magda  draws  his  hood  close  over  his  head  as 


32  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

he  sits  down,  spear  in  hand,  to  watch.  Farther  and 
farther  away  goes  his  father.  He  is  alone  on  the 
ice  field  for  the  first  time  in  his  life." 

"Isn't  he  afraid?"   asked  Mabel. 

"Afraid!"  said  Tom.  "I  don't  believe  he  thinks 
of  a  thing  but  that  seal.     I  hope  he'll  catch  it." 

"Yes,"  said  Aunt  Mary.  "He  knows  how  much 
it  means  to  them  all  at  home,  and  then  —  this  is 
his  first  hunt.  Can  you  think  what  that  means  to 
him,  Tom  ?' 

"Yes,  auntie,"  said  Tom.  "  But  did  the  seal 
come  r 

"A  loud  shout  from  his  father  calls  him  now. 
He  runs  to  him  and  sees  him  draw  a  large  seal  out 
on  the  ice,  quite  dead.  On  its  nose,  that  is  its  most 
sensitive  part,  is  the  mark  of  the  spear  that  has  just 
taken  its  life." 

"Does  it  look  like  this?"  asked  Tom,  stroking 
his  cap. 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Aunt  Mary.  "It  is  covered 
with   a    thick   fur   of  stiff,    coarse   hair.     This    hair 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  33 

clings  close  to  the  body  and  prevents  the  water  from 
soaking  through  to  the  skin.  Under  these  coarse 
hairs  there  is  a  soft  fur  something  like  yours  in 
quality,  but  not  so  thick.  In  fact,  Tom,  seals  such 
as  your  cap  is  made  from  do  not  live  in  Greenland. 
They  live  in  Alaska.  Do  you  know  where  Alaska 
is  ?  The  Alaska  seal  has  coarse  hairs  over  the  fur, 
too,  but  the  fur  is  much  thicker  than  in  the  kind 
Magda  uses." 

'There  is  no  coarse  hair  on  my  cap,"  said  Tom. 

"No,"  said  his  aunt.  "When  the  skins  are 
prepared  these  coarse  hairs  are  scraped  off.  Then 
the  fur  is  dyed  this  beautiful  brown." 

"Isn't  it  always  brown?"  asked  Mabel  in  sur- 
prise. 

"No,"  replied  Aunt  Mary,  "it  is  a  sort  of  yellow- 
ish gray.  Some  seals  have  dark  spots  over  the  gray. 
The  one  Magda  is  looking  at  is  like  that." 

"Aren't  these  seals  useful  to  anyone  but  the 
Eskimos?"  asked  Tom. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  was  the  reply.     "They  are  the 


34  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

most  valuable  for  oil,  and  their  skins  are  used  for 
leather.  My  pocketbook  is  made  of  that  kind  of 
seal-skin." 

"What  will  Magda  and  his  father  do  with  their 
seal  ? "    asked  Mabel,  who  cared  most  for  the  story. 

"Let  me  see." 

Aunt  Mary  paused.  The  children  waited.  "It 
is  getting  dark  again  now,"  she  began.  "'Let  us 
go  home,  Magda,'  the  father  says.  'We  will  come 
again  next  daylight.'  The  seal  is  fastened  to  one 
of  the  dogs  and  away  they  go. 

"As  soon  as  they  reach  home  the  work  of  caring 
for  the  seal  is  begun.  The  beautiful  glossy  coat 
comes  off  first.  Under  this  is  found  a  layer  of  fat, 
for  the  seals  are  usually  very  fat  in  the  water,  where 
they  have  plenty  of  food." 

"What  do  they  eat?"  asked  Tom. 

"Principally  fish,"  was  the  reply.  "This  layer 
of  fat  is  a  wonderful  protection  to  the  seals,  for 
even  when  they  lie  on  the  ice  it  keeps  them  from 
getting  cold,  for  the  cold  cannot  go  through  it." 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  35 

"How  strange!  said  Mabel. 

"What  will  the  Eskimos  do  with  it?"  asked 
Tom. 

"They  will  use  it  to  burn  in  their  stoves  and  for 
lights.  They  will  eat  the  flesh,  being  careful  to  save 
all  the  tendons  for  thread  and  strings.  The  bones 
will  be  made  into  needles,  spear  points,  nails  and 


such  things.  Not  any  will  be  wasted.  Such  is  the 
value  of  the  seal  to  the  Eskimo." 

"Will  they  do  anything  to  the  skin  before  it  is 
made  into  clothes  ? "  asked  Tom,  with  admiring  eyes 
on  his  cap. 

"Yes,"  said  Aunt  Mary,  "but  it  will  receive  very 
different  treatment  from  what  that  has.     After  it  is 


36  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

dried  Magda's  mother  will  soften  the  skin  by  chew- 
ing it  all  over." 

"Oh,    auntie,  how    dreadful!     Is    that    true?" 
said  Mabel. 

"Quite  true,  dear,"  was  the  reply.  "It  does 
not  seem  pleasant,  does  it?" 

"Do  you  know  any  more  about  Magda,  auntie  ?" 
asked  Tom,  looking  at  his  picture  again.  "Does 
he  go  hunting  any  more  ?" 

"Often,"  was  the  smiling  reply.  "The  days  are 
growing  longer  now  and  many  hours  are  spent  on 
the  ice.  They  have  just  come  upon  a  'blow  hole,' 
over  which  the  crust  is  very  thin.  It  breaks  in 
easily.  Ah!  what  is  that  lying  on  the  ice  in  an 
'igloo'  of  its  own?  It  is  a  little  baby  seal  whose 
mother  has  left  it  there  while  she  hunts  for  fish 
to  eat.  In  form  it  is  like  the  older  seals,  only 
smaller,  with  round  head,  short  neck  and  body, 
tapering  to  the  short  tail  between  the  two  hind 
legs.  The  legs  cannot  be  seen,  only  the  five 
webbed  toes  on  each  foot.       Instead   of    the    sleek 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


37 


fur  of  the    old  seals  it  is  covered  with  a  soft  wool 
as  white  as  snow. 

"Magda    has   seen   many  seals,  but    never   one 




Snow 

j 

I/       ' 

/ 

^\ 

'^ 

-^' 

>     S& 

.  _  -£r  ;= 

^s- 

till" 

■1 

'; 

rf  ■'-'■■ 

j    \o\oo 

vA 

%fii 

I 

0 

ML, 

wBSSJ^y* 

m- 

like  this.  He  thinks  it  very  pretty.  His  father  tells 
him  that  all  the  baby  seals,  when  very  young,  are 
covered  with  this  white  wool,  but  that  soon  this  will 


38  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

come  off  and  then  the  mother  will  take  it  into  the 
water  and  teach  it  to  swim. 

"Could  it  not  swim  now?"  asked  Tom. 

"No,"  said  Aunt  Mary,  "that  white  wool  would 
absorb  the  water  and  make  it  drown.  Magda  asks, 
'Shall  we  not  take  it  with  us,  father?' 

"  'No,'  is  the  reply.     'It  is  too  young  to  be  of 


MOTHER    PROTECTING    HER    BABY 


use  to  us.  We  will  let  it  live  another  year.  Never 
kill  a  seal  unless  it  is  useful  to  you.' 

"That  is  the  way  the  Eskimos  feel  about  killing 
the  seals.  Magda  thinks  the  mother  will  come  back 
soon.     'Shall  we  not  wait  for  her?'   he  asks. 

"  'No,'  says  the  father,  'her  baby  needs  her  more 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  39 

than  we  do.  There  are  plenty  for  us  that  have  no 
babies.'  " 

"Do  the  seals  always  keep  their  babies  on  fhe 
ice  like  that?"  asked  Mabel. 

"No,"  said  Aunt  Mary,  "sometimes  they  are 
born  in  caves  among  the  rocks  or  on  sandy  beaches. 
Then  the  mothers  usually  stay  with  them  until  they 
are  old  enough  to  go  into  the  water.  They  are  very 
tender  with  their  babies  and  take  very  good  care  of 
them.  The  fathers,  too,  seem  to  be  rather  proud 
of  the  little  ones  and  enjoy  watching  them  play 
together.  As  seals  usually  live  in  large  companies 
there  are  always  plenty  to  share  in  their  plays." 

"How  do  they  play,  auntie?"  asked  Tom. 

"They  leap  and  dive  and  dart  about  in  the  water, 
sometimes  darting  onto  the  beach  or  a  large  block 
of  ice  where  they  will  lie  for  a  while.  Then  they 
will  scramble  back  into  the  water  in  their  awkward 
way,  for  you  know  they  are  very  clumsy  on  land. 
But  when  once  in  the  water  they  are  very  graceful. 
They  swim  with  equal  ease  and  grace  whether  on 


40  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

their  breasts  or  on  their  backs,  sometimes  twisted 
part  one  way  and  part  the  other." 

"How  can  they  see  in  the  water?"    asked  Tom. 

"Ah!  I  intended  to  tell  you  about  their  eyes. 
They  are  wonderfully  fitted  to  their  way  of  living, 
for  they  have  a  third  eyelid  that  they  close  in  the 
water.     This  lid  is  very  thin  so  they  can  see  through 


it,  but  it  protects  the  eye  from  the  water  and  other 
things  that  might  harm  it.  Their  ears,  too,  are 
protected,  for  although  they  can  hear  quite  well, 
there  is  no  ear  on  the  outside  of  the  skin." 

'  'Does  Magda  do  all  his  hunting  in  the  winter  ?" 
asked  Mabel,  who  liked  to  keep  them  on  the  story. 

"Oh,  no,"  was  the  reply.     "The  days  are  grow- 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


•P 


ing  longer.  The  sun  is  shining  now.  The  snow  is 
melting.  The  ice  is  breaking  up  and  floating  away 
over  the  wide  blue  sea.  The  snow  houses  are  gone 
and  in  their  places  are  set  up  the  tents  of  skin  called 
by  the  Eskimos  'tupics.'     Instead  of  the  sledge  and 


dogs,  Magda  and  his  father  are  now  starting  out  in 
their  canoes.  These,  too,  are  made  of  skins.  The 
sea  is  broad  and  blue.  Far  away  floats  a  huge  block 
of  ice.  But  the  surface  is  not  white.  It  is  thickly 
covered  with  dark  spots. 


42 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


"  'See  the  seals,  Magda,"  says  the  father.  'They 
are  sleeping  in  the  sunshine.  Now  is  our  chance, 
but  row  carefully  or  they  will  hear  us." 

"But  the  timid  seals  know  better  than  to  lie  and 
sleep  with  nothing  to  warn  of  danger.     One  of  their 


number  is  watching.  A  long,  loud  howl  like  that 
of  a  dog  wakens  the  sleeping  company.  How  quickly 
they  scramble  over  the  ice  and  tumble  into  the  water. 
"The  Eskimos  let  the  canoes  drift.  They  are 
watching.  Heavy  clouds  roll  up  from  the  sea.  A 
storm  is  coming.     It  is  the  time  of  all  others  that 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  43 

seals  love  to  play,  both  in  the  water  and  on  the 
shore. 

"Magda  and  his  father  draw  their  canoe  up  on 
the  beach,  and  from  the  shelter  of  a  large  rock, 
watch.  They  know  what  the  seals  will  do.  They 
have  not  long  to  wait.  Soon  they  see  them  leave 
the  water  and  stretch  themselves  upon  the  sand. 
Then  they  leap  into  the  water  only  to  scramble 
back  upon  the  shore. 

"What  is  that  out  among  the  dashing  waves? 
It  is  gone.  Again  it  is  seen,  this  time  nearer  the 
shore.  It  disappears.  Suddenly  the  huge  form  of 
a  white  bear  springs  out  of  the  water  and  rushes 
upon  the  helpless  seals.  What  a  terror  they  are  in 
when  they  see  their  greatest  enemy  rise  up  between 
them  and  their  only  place  of  safety!  The  bear — 
but  I  must  tell  you  of  the  bear  another  time." 

"Oh,  no,  auntie,"  exclaimed  two  eager  voices, 
"please  tell  us  now." 

"Not  to-day,"  she  said,  smiling.  "That  will 
keep  until  you  come  to  see  me  again." 


THE  OTTER 

"We'll  be  sure  to  find  them  here." 

"The  very  place!     Let  us  begin." 

So  the  two  fishermen  sat  down,  threw  their  lines 
far  out  into  the  stream  and  waited. 

How  long  and  patiently  they  did  wait!  But  the 
expected  pull  at  the  lines  did  not  come. 

"It's  strange,"  said  one.  "I  never  failed  to  find 
plenty  of  trout  in  a  place  like  this." 

"  I  wish  we  were  on  the  other  side,"  was  the 
reply,  "where  that  tree  bends  over  the  river." 

"Look!  What's  that?"  whispered  one,  point- 
ing to  the  line  of  ripples  in  the  water  that  was  moving 
rapidly  against  the  current. 

"It  must  be  a  big  fellow,"  replied  the  other. 
"We  must  have  it,  sure." 

But  just  then  a  nose,  not  at  all  like  the  nose  of 
a  fish,  was  raised  for  a  moment  out  of  the  water. 

45 


46  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

Only  a  nose,  blunt  and  gray.  Nothing  more  could 
be  seen. 

"Ha!"  cried  one  of  the  fishermen.  ''It's  an 
otter!     Now  I  know  why  there  are  no  fish  here." 

"We  must  catch  it,"  was  the  reply.  "I'd  rather 
carry  home  a  fine  otter  skin  than  a  string  of  fish  as 
long  as  I  am." 

But  the  otter  did  not  intend  to  be  caught.  Swift 
as  an  arrow  she  darted  through  the  water  to  where 
the  big  tree  hung  over  the  river  bank.  Then  the 
fishermen  saw  her  no  more. 

"There  must  be  a  burrow  over  there,"  said  one. 

"If  we  bring  a  trap  and  set  it  down  there  we'll 
be  sure  to  catch  her,"  replied  his  companion. 

"Let  us  do  it  to-morrow,"  said  he.  "A  fine 
otter  skin  is  worth  working  for." 

They  were  right.  The  otter  was  at  home. 
When  she  swam  under  the  long  roots  of  the  tree, 
quite  below  the  surface  of  the  water,  she  came  to 
a  hole  in  the  ground.  She  knew  just  where  to  look 
for  it.     Into  it,  and  upward  through  a  long  narrow 


Furrv  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


47 


passage-way,  she  crept,  until  she  was  under  the 
tree.  Here  she  found  a  large  room  lined  with  soft 
green  grass.     A  faint  ray  of  light  came  through  an- 


other and  much  smaller  opening  that  led  to  the  top 
of  the  bank.  It  was  too  small  for  an  otter  to  creep 
through,  but  quite  large  enough  for  as  much  light 
and  air  as  was  needed  to  come  in.     The  otter  did 


48  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

not  find  her  house  empty.  Two  little  otters  lay 
there  fast  asleep.  She  had  been  hunting  for  their 
dinner  when  she  saw  the  fishermen.  She  was  still 
panting  with  excitement. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  one  of  the  little 
ones,  raising  his  head  from  the  soft  bed  of  grass. 

"I  saw  two  men  out  there,"  replied  the  mother, 
with  short,  quick  gasps. 

"Are  they  good  to  eat?"  asked  the  little  one, 
wide  awake  at  the  thought. 

"I  wish  I  knew,"  said  the  mother.  "If  they 
are  I'd  like  to  eat  them  all  and  get  rid  of  them. 
I've  had   some  pretty  narrow  escapes  in  my  day." 

"How,  mother?"  asked  her  other  child,  the 
timid  little  sister. 

"Some  man  or  other  is  always  trying  to  catch 
me." 

"What  for?" 

"Why,  for  my  fur,  of  course.  They  seem  to 
think  a  great  deal  of  our  kind  of  fur.  They  well 
may,  for  what  could  be  more  beautiful  ? "    and  the 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  49 

mother  otter  stroked  the  soft  fur  of  her  children 
with  her  strong  paw. 

"Are  there  many  men  in  the  world  ?"  aslced  one 
of  the  children. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  the  mother.  "I'm 
afraid  there  are." 

"May  I  go  and  see  what  they  look  like  ?"  asked 
the  bold  young  son. 

"No,  indeed,"  replied  the  mother.  "I  wish  you 
might  never  know.  But  you  will,  all  too  soon,  I 
fear.     There's  only  one  thing  worse." 

"What's  that?"  asked  the  little  sister,  with  a 
quiver  in  her  voice. 

"Dogs!"  said  the  mother,  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 
"They  belong  with  the  men." 

"Are  there  any  out  there  now?" 

"I  didn't  see  any,  but  you  can't  always  tell." 

"What  were  the  men  doing?" 

"Trying  to  catch  fish,"  was  the  reply. 

"But,  ha!  ha!  they  don't  know  anything  about 
it.     It  takes  an  otter  to  catch  fish." 


50  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"When  are  we  going  to  learn?" 

"Very  soon,"  said  the  mother.     "But  we'll  have 


vsK. 


to  move  farther  up  stream.  I've  caught  all  the  fish 
there  were  here." 

"When  shall  we  go?" 

"We  had  better  go  at  once,"  said  the  mother. 
"Now   that   these   men   have   seen   me,   there   is  no 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  51 

telling  what  they'll  do.     We'll  go  to-night.     Night 
is  always  the  best  time  to  go  anywhere." 

"But  what  will  we  do  without  this  warm  bed  ?" 
cried  the  little  sister. 

"Never  fear,"  said  the  mother.  "This  isn't  the 
only  house  I  have.  There  are  others  quite  as  good 
as  this.  Why,  I  even  have  some  in  another  stream 
far  away  from  this  one.  We  would  have  to  walk 
a  long  way  to  get  there.  But  it's  easier  to  swim, 
so  we  won't  go  there  unless  the  fish  in  this  stream 
give  out.  It  is  never  safe,  though,  to  have  only  one 
house.  I  like  this  one  under  the  old  tree  the  best 
of  them  all,  but  I'm  going  to  take  you  to  a  place 
where  there's  a  chance  for  great  fun. 

"What  is  it?"    asked  both  children  in  a  breath. 

"Just  wait  and  you'll  see,"  replied  the  mother, 
looking  out  of  the  corners  of  her  eyes. 

She  had  very  bright  eyes  and  by  turning  her  head 
a  very  little  she  could  see  behind  her  as  well  as 
before,  and  to  the  right  side  as  well  as  to  the  left. 
It  would  be  a  pretty  quick  fish  that  could  keep  out 


52  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

of  her  sight.  Her  ears  were  small  and  almost  hidden 
in  her  glossy  fur,  but  they  were  quick  to  catch  the 
least  sound.     And  that's  the  best  kind  of  ears. 

That  night,  after  the  moon  rose  over  the  river, 
the  mother  otter  led  the  way  out  of  the  burrow, 
down  through  the  narrow  passage  among  the  roots 
of  the  tree,  out  into  the  water.  Her  two  little  ones 
followed.  It  was  not  the  first  time  they  had  been 
out,  so  they  knew  quite  well  how  it  looked. 

It  had  not  been  very  long  since  the  little  otters 
had  come  to  live  with  their  mother.  They  were 
blind  then,  and  quite  helpless.  But  soon  they  were 
big  enough  to  go  into  the  river  to  learn  to  swim. 
It  was  very  easy,  for  they  had  many  things  to  help 
them.  First,  there  were  their  feet.  Such  big  feet 
for  such  short  legs!  But  the  best  thing  about  them 
was  that  all  the  five  toes  were  fastened  together  with 
a  strong  web.  They  surely  were  made  for  swim- 
ming. Their  long  tails  helped,  too.  They  were 
broad  and  flat  next  to  the  body  and  tapered  to  a 
small  point.     No  boat  ever  had  a  finer  rudder  to 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


53 


guide  it  than  these  tails  made  for  the  little  otters. 
They  were  dressed  in  coats  of  stiff,  glossy,  brown 
hair  that  clung  closely  to  their  bodies.  Under  this 
coat  the  fur  was  soft  and  gray  and  so  thick  that  no 
matter  how  cold  the  water  was  they  did  not  feel  it. 
No  wonder  they  learned  to  swim  so  easily. 


OTTER    SWIMMlNc; 


And  now  a  new  experience  was  before  them. 
They  were  going  to  move. 

They  had  not  been  in  the  water  five  minutes 
before  the  sturdy  young  son  saw  a  fish  and  darted 
after  it.     They  were  born  fishers  as  well  as  swimmers. 

"Well  done!"  said  the  proud  mother,  as  he 
caught    the   fish   between   his   sharp   teeth.     "Bring 


54 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


it   here,"  and   she   scrambled   from    the   river  upon 
the  bank. 

"Never  eat  your  fish  in  the  water,"  she  said. 
"Always  take  it  to  shore.  That's  right.  Hold  it 
with  your  forepaws  —  so  —  and  eat  the  body  first. 
Leave  the  head  and  tail  when  there  are  plenty  of 


fish.     And  we'll  find  more  than  we  can  eat  where 
we  are  going.     Now  we'll  go." 

She  plunged  into  the  river  again.  The  children 
followed.  Through  the  water  they  glided  without 
a  sound.  Excepting  an  owl  that  was  hooting  in  the 
woods,  they  seemed  the  only  living  things  in  all  the 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  55 

world.  As  they  went  on  up  the  stream,  they  came 
to  a  small  village.  The  houses  looked  very  still  in 
the  moonlight.  Not  a  man  was  to  be  seen.  Far  up 
the  village  street  they  could  hear  a  strange  noise. 

"It's  the  barking  of  a  dog,"  whispered  the 
mother  as  the  two  little  ones  came  closer  to  her 
side.     "But  he's  far  away,  so  there's  no  danger." 

Then  they  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  a 
break  in  the  smoothly  flowing  stream.  It  was  a 
dam  for  a  mill. 

"What  shall  we  do?"  asked  the  little  one.  For 
answer  the  mother  led  the  way  up  the  bank  and  they 
walked  around  the  mill  to  where  the  river  was  wid- 
ened into  the  mill  pond.  From  there  they  swam  on 
and  on,  until  they  had  left  the  village  far  behind. 
Here  they  found  a  wood  as  thick  as  that  from  which 
they  had  come,  but  the  banks  of  the  river  were  higher 
and  in  some  places  quite  steep. 

The  mother  otter  went  straight  to  an  overhanging 
ledge  and  there  they  found  a  home  very  much  like 
the  one  they  had  left. 


56  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

They  crept  into  it  and  were  soon  curled  up 
together  fast  asleep. 

In  the  morning  when  they  peeped  out,  across  the 
river  they  saw  a  steep  bank  of  clay,  without  a  green 
thing  growing  on  it. 

"That's  where  we're  going  to  have  our  fun,"  said 
the  mother. 

"How?"  asked  both  of  the  children. 

"After  we've  had  our  breakfast  I'll  show  you," 
she  replied. 

The  little  otters  had  never  dreamed  of  so  many 
fish.  The  stream  was  full  of  them.  The  mother 
otter  soon  saw  that  her  children  no  longer  needed 
her  to  bring  them  food.  She  was  very  proud  of  them 
as  again  and  again  they  darted  through  the  water, 
seized  a  fish,  and  swam  to  the  shore  to  eat  it.  The 
heads  and  tails  of  the  fish  scattered  about  would 
have  told  of  their  feast,  if  there  had  been  anyone 
to  see  them.  But  there  was  not.  It  looked  as 
though  no  one  but  fish  and  otters  had  ever  been 
there. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


57 


When  they  could  eat  no  more  the  mother  led  the 
way  to  the  steep  clay  bank. 
"Wait  here,"  she  said. 
Then  she  swam  away  up  the  stream  to  where  the 


OTTER    AFTER     A   FISH 


bank  was  lower.  Here  she  crept  quickly  from  the 
water,  and  in  a  moment  the  little  ones  saw  her  looking 
at  them  from  the  top  of  the  bluff.  They  saw  her  lie 
flat  on  the  ground  with  her  forepaws  held  close  to 
her  side.     Then  by  giving  herself  a  start  with  her 


58 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


hind  feet,  she  came  sliding  down  the  bank  and  into 
the  water  with  a  splash,  before  her  astonished  chil- 
dren knew  what  had  happened.  Then  she  ran  back 
and  did  it  again. 


"I  want  to  do  it,  too,"  cried  one  of  the  little  ones. 

"So  do  I,"  said  the  other. 

"Come  on/'  replied  the  mother.  So  leading 
them  up  the  bank  she  fixed  first  one  and  then  the 
other,  showed  them  how  to  start,  and  away  they 
went.     She  needed  to  show  them  but  once.     Again 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  59 

and  again  they  went  up  and  came  down  into  the  river 
with  a  splash.  Each  time  their  wet  bodies  slid  over 
the  smooth  clay  bank  it  became  more  slippery,  and 
they  went  so  fast  it  took  their  breath  away. 

It  was  great  fun.  But  they  were  tired  after  a 
while,  so  they  swam  across  the  stream  to  their  new 
home,  crept  in,  and  went  to  sleep. 

And  so  with  fishing  and  swimming,  sliding  and 
sleeping,  the  days  passed  swiftly  by.  Then  some- 
thing happened.  The  air  grew  cold.  But  that  really 
made  little  difference  to  the  otters,  for  their  fur  had 
become  so  thick  and  warm  that  they  did  not  feel  it. 
The  leaves  fell  off  the  trees  and  a  thick  crust  of  ice 
formed  over  the  river. 

The  little  otters  did  not  know  what  to  make 
of  it.  They  had  never  seen  anything  like  it 
before. 

"It  is  winter,"  explained  the  mother.  "But  it's 
all  right.  There  are  plenty  of  fish  under  the  ice 
and  our  door-way  isn't  frozen  up.  You  see,  I  knew 
about  winter  when  I  made  it  down  so  deep." 


6o 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


"But  how  can  we  get  out  to  slide  down  hill?" 
asked  one  of  the  children. 

"Easy  enough,"  said  the  mother.  "You  remem- 
ber the  falls  farther  up  the  river  where  we  went  one 


day.  The  water  never  has  a  chance  to  freeze  there. 
It's  a  good  place  to  get  out.' 

"Will  we  have  to  walk  back  to  our  hill  ?"  asked 
one  of  the  little  ones. 

"Oh,  there  are  plenty  of  hills." 

"But  not  like  ours." 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and   Sea  61 

"We  shall  see.     Let  us  go." 

So  they  swam  up  the  river,  under  the  roof  of  ice. 
When  the  mother's  sharp  eyes  discovered  a  small 
hole  through  the  ice  they  stopped  to  take  breath. 

Some  of  the  holes  were  far  apart,  but  they  did 
not  mind  it,  for  they  could  go  a  long  time  without 
breathing. 

When  they  came  out  at  the  falls  and  saw  the  hills  all 
covered  with  snow,  they  stopped  to  look  about.  But 
they  never  thought  of  walking  back  to  their  clay-bank. 
All  of  the  hills  looked  as  though  made  for  coasting. 

"Winter  is  more  fun  than  summer,"  they  said, 
as  they  glided  swiftly  over  the  glistening  snow.  It 
was  only  when  the  mother  promised  that  they  should 
come  back  the  next  day  that  the  children  were  willing 
to  go  home. 

The  little  otters  were  three  years  old  before  they 
were  as  big  as  their  mother,  and  by  that  time  the 
mother  was  busy  teaching  another  little  family  to 
swim  and  fish  and  to  coast  down  hill.  So  the  big 
brother  and  sister  had  to  look  out  for  themselves. 


sen  ^ 


mam  ? 


■giianis^ 


THE   BEAVERS 

What  a  question!  Have  I  always  lived  here? 
No,  indeed! 

This  close,  narrow  cage  is  not  much  like  the  wild, 
beautiful  forest  where  I  lived  when  I  was  young. 

Am  I  old  now  ?  Well,  yes  —  for  a  beaver  —  but 
I  remember  all  about  it. 

You  want  to  hear  my  story  ?     I  will  tell  it  to  you. 

We  beavers  are  very  social  in  our  habits.  We 
never  live  alone,  unless  someone  puts  us  in  a  cage 
—  as  they  have  me.  We  love  large  families.  Our 
villages  are  full  of  life.  What  free,  jolly  times  we 
did  have  in  ours! 

My  First  Swim 

I  remember  the  first  time  I  went  into  the  water. 
I  was  only  a  month  old.  It  was  the  beautiful  sum- 
mer-time.    The  trees  were  green.     Around  the  edge 

6.3 


64  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

of  the  lake,  beside  which  I  was  born,  there  were  so 
many  tender  lily-pads  and  waving  rushes,  that  it 
makes  my  mouth  water,  even  now,  just  to  think  of 
it.  My  mother  led  the  way.  I,  with  my  five  brothers 
and  sisters,  followed  as  best  we  could. 

You  see,  we  could  not  walk  easily  on  account  of 
the  length  of  our  legs;  the  hind  ones  are  so  long  and 
the  fore  ones  are  so  short.  And  then  our  tails! 
They  seemed  very  awkward.  You  see,  I  did  not 
know  much  then,  or  I  should  not  have  thought  so. 
I  remember,  although  my  mother  was  more  beautiful 
to  me  than  anyone  I  had  ever  seen,  still  I  did  not 
think  her  walk  very  graceful  as  I  followed  close  be- 
hind her.  She  hopped  along  in  a  funny  sort  of  way, 
her  tail  dragging  heavily  after  her.  But  when  she 
swam  off  in  the  clear  water,  she  was  indeed  beautiful. 
I  quite  forgot  to  follow,  I  was  so  interested  in  watch- 
ing her-. 

"This  way,  children,"  she  called.  Then  we 
plunged  in,  too. 

I  think  I  learned  more  in  a  few  minutes  then, 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  65 

than  I  ever  did  in  my  life  in  the  same  length  of 
time.  I  learned  why  my  hind  feet  are  web  and 
what  a  wonderful  thing  my  strange  tail  is.  Why, 
do  you  know,  just  by  turning  my  tail  one  way  or 
another  I  could  swim  in  any  direction  I  wished  ? 
I  have  heard  that  boats  have  things  on  them  called 
rudders,  that  are  used  in  the  same  way.  With  the 
help  of  my  webbed  feet,  swimming  was  much  easier 
than  walking. 

But,  oh,  how  good  that  water  did  feel!  And  to 
no  part  so  much  as  to  my  tail.  I  wonder  if  you  could 
guess  why  ?  Even  now,  in  this  cage,  if  I  keep  my 
tail  in  the  water  I  do  not  get  thirsty  for  a  long 
time. 

We  stayed  about  this  little  lake  most  of  the  sum- 
mer. We  children  grew  fast.  We  found  many  ten- 
der green  plants  and  ripe  berries  to  eat,  but  what  we 
liked  best  was  the  bark  of  the  willow  and  poplar 
trees.  These  trees  grew  all  about  the  lake  and  along 
a  stream  that  connected  our  lake  with  another  one 
not  far  away. 


66  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

Our  Family 

My  father  was  the  chief  of  our  community  as  his 
father  had  been  before  him.  He  was  the  finest 
beaver  I  ever  saw.  I  might  have  been  like  him  if 
—  but  that  comes  later  in  the  story. 

Although  the  beavers  of  our  tribe  would  wander 


0 


away  and  sometimes  stay  for  days,  they  always  came 
back.  I  think  they  simply  took  a  vacation,  for  every- 
one who  was  old  enough  was  very  busy  most  of  the 
time. 

What  were  they  doing  ?     They  were  cutting  down 
trees. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  67 

Oh,  you  may  laugh  at  the  idea  of  an  animal 
who  cannot  use  an  axe  or  saw  as  you  can,  cutting 
down  trees.  But  we  can  do  it.  How?  Just  look 
at  my  teeth.  Did  you  ever  see  an  axe  or  a  saw  so 
hard  and  sharp  as  they  are  ?  And  the  best  of  it  is, 
the  more  we  use  our  teeth,  the  harder  and  sharper 
they  grow.  If  they  are  worn  away  they  grow  a  little 
faster  to  make  up  for  it. 

Cutting  Down  Trees 

But  you  ask  what  all  the  beavers  were  cutting 
down  trees  for.  I  will  tell  you.  First  we  stripped 
off  all  the  tender  green  bark  for  food.  It  was  some 
time  before  I  could  cut  down  the  trees,  but  I  loved 
to  try  my  teeth  on  that  bark.  The  poplar,  willow, 
and  birch  trees  are  the  best.  Then,  after  the  bark 
was  off,  the  branches  were  cut  from  the  trees;  all 
were  cut  into  pieces  about  as  long  as  I  am. 

How  long  is  that,  you  ask  ?  I  heard  my  keeper 
say  a  few  days  ago  that  my  body  is  about  two  feet 


68 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


long  and   my  tail  ten   inches.     Now  you   know  as 
much  about  it  as  I  do. 

At  first  I  wondered  what  all  those  logs  were  to 


CvAv  \v\o   <A.ovo\\  t\  Cvfct 


be  used  for.     I  asked   father  one   day,  and   he   said: 
"You  just  keep  your  eyes  open  and  you'll  find 

out." 

I  did  find  out  after  a  while.     One  night  it  grew 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  69 

cold  and  in  the  morning  around  the  edges  of  our 
lake  there  was  a  queer  hard  surface  on  the  water. 
"What  is  it,  mother?"  I  asked,  as  we  came  out  of 
our  burrow  in  the  bank  and  went  for  our  morning 
swim. 

"Why,  child,  that  is  ice,"  she  said.  "You'll  see 
more  before  long." 

During  the  day  my  father  appeared  to  be  un- 
usually busy,  for  the  day-time.  He  glided  swiftly 
about  in  the  water,  talking  to  all  the  grown-up 
beavers  he  met,  and  even  visiting  them  in  their 
burrows. 

That  night,  as  soon  as  it  became  dark,  there  was 
a  great  excitement  among  our  people.  They  all 
gathered  at  one  end  of  the  lake.  I  did  not  know 
what  it  meant,  but  I  kept  close  to  mother. 

"Where  is  it  to  be?"  asked  someone. 

"  In  the  stream  joining  these  two  lakes,"  replied 
my  father,  who  was  the  chief. 

"Is  that  better  than  this  quiet  lake?"  asked  one 
of  the  old  counsellors. 


yo  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"Yes,"  answered  father,  "that  is  better,  for  the 
water  is  in  motion,  and  moving  water,  as  you  know, 
is  purest  and  best." 

"But  is  it  deep  enough?"  asked  another. 

"We  can  fix  that,"  answered  father,  with  a  nod 
of  his  head. 

I  wondered  how,  but  I  had  learned  not  to  ask 
questions  when  he  was  busy;  so  I  waited  and  kept 
my  eyes  open.  How  surprised  I  was  when  I  saw 
how  they  "fixed  it"! 

I  had  heard  a  great  deal  about  the  houses  to  be 
built  for  the  winter,  but  I  had  not  thought  much 
about  them.  The  forest  and  the  clear,  cool  lake 
with  the  deep,  dark  burrows  where  we  could  sleep 
and  rest  during  the  hot  days,  were  good  enough  for 
me.  But  you  see  I  did  not  know  what  the  winter 
that  they  talked  so  much  about  was  like. 

"You  youngsters  must  help,  too,"  said  father, 
gliding  swiftly  through  the  water  toward  a  group  of 
us  children  who  were  swimming  about  watching  the 
others.     "No  idlers  here.     Come  on!" 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and   Sea  71 

He  led  the  way  into  the  stream  that  joined  the 
two  lakes.  The  whole  company  followed.  It  was 
quite  dark  now,  and  oh!  so  still  in  the  forest.  The 
only  sound  to  be  heard  was  the  splash  of  the  water 
as  the  beavers  swam  through  it. 

Building  a  Dam 

Then  the  work  began.  One  beaver,  who  had 
very  sharp  eyes,  was  told  to  watch.  So  all  through 
the  night  he  sat  on  a  log  in  the  water,  ready  to  warn 
of  any  danger. 

The  larger  and  stronger  ones  ran  upon  the  bank 
and  began  to  drag  the  logs  that  had  been  cut  during 
the  summer.  They  held  them  firmly  with  their  teeth 
and  so  brought  them  quickly  to  the  water. 

In  all  that  busy  company  there  were  three  old 
beavers  who  would  not  work.  They  had  no  families 
and  seemed  to  take  no  interest  in  what  was  being 
done. 

"If  you  will  not  work  you  shall  not  stay  here," 
said  father. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  73 

So  the  busy  ones  stopped  work  long  enough  to 
drive  them  away.  Several  times  they  came  back, 
only  to  be  driven  away  again.  One  day,  not  long 
after,  I  met  one  of  them  in  the  lake.  He  said  he 
lived  in  a  burrow  in  the  bank. 

"It's  good  enough  for  me,"  he  said,  with  a  sigh. 

"But  how  can  you  store  your  food  there?"  I 
asked. 

"I  don't  store  it,"  he  replied. 

"But  how  shall  you  live  in  winter?"  I.  asked  in 
wonder. 

"Oh,  any  way  I  can,"  he  answered,  as  he  swam 
away. 

I  thought  it  much  nicer  to  work  a  little  harder 
and  live  more  comfortably.  But  somehow  I  felt 
sorry  for  him.  He  seemed  so  sad  and  lonely.  But 
our  village  was  not  the  place  for  idlers. 

"Come  with  us,  children,"  called  my  mother, 
"and  help  us  get  the  stones  and  mud." 

So  all  the  mothers  with  their  children  went  to 
the  bottom  of  the  lake  and  brought  up  big  balls  of 


74 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


soft  mud.     We  held  it  close  under  our  throats  with 
our  fore  paws  while  we  swam  very  easily  with  our 


hind  feet  and  tails.     You  can  never  know  what  fun 
it  was.     Soon  the  logs  were  all  in  the  water. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  75 

"Bring  the  mud  and  stones  quickly,"  called 
father,  as  they  began  to  place  the  logs  in  a  line 
across  the  stream. 

"Lay  them  here,  and  here,  and  here,"  they  said. 

But  the  current  in  the  stream  began  to  carry  them 
away. 

"Curve  the  line  a  little  toward  the  stream,"  com- 
manded the  chief. 

This  was  done,  and  while  some  held  the  logs  and 
sticks,  the  mud,  grass,  stones,  and  everything  we  could 
get  were  placed  upon  them.     How  we  did  work! 

Did  you  ever  "work  like  a  beaver"?  Oh,  you 
may  think  so,  but  I  doubt  it!  We  did  not  stop  a 
moment  throughout  the  long  night. 

A  Signal 

At  length  we  heard  a  great  splashing  of  water 
where  the  patient  watcher  sat  upon  the  log.  I 
looked  at  him  quickly.  He  was  beating  the  water 
wildly  with  his  tail.     Every  beaver  in  the  company 


7" 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


stopped  work  instantly  and  looked  about  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  The  daylight  was  coming. 
We  had  been  so  busy  we  had  not  noticed  it.  There 
was  no  more  time  to  work  now. 

But  what  do  you  think  had  been  done  in  that 
one  night  ? 


A  dam  had  been  built  across  the  stream  from  one 
bank  to  the  other!  It  was  made  so  close  and  solid 
that  not  a  drop  of  water  could  get  through  it.  In 
the  middle  there  was  a  little  place  low  enough  for 
the  water  to  flow  slowly  over  when  it  should  become 
deep  enough.     This  would  keep  the  water  in  motion 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  77 

and  so  keep  it  pure.  We  beavers  love  to  have  every- 
thing about  us  sweet  and  clean.  The  dam  was  three 
times  as  wide  at  the  bottom  as  I  am  long.  When  I 
lay  across  the  top  of  it  my  tail  hung  over  on  one  side. 
It  was  built  in  the  widest  part  of  the  stream,  so  it 
was  long  enough  for  us  children  to  have  a  fine  run 
from  end  to  end  before  we  went  into  our  burrows. 
There  we  slept  all  day  long  as  only  a  beaver  can 
sleep  after  such  a  busy  night. 

Building  Houses 

The  next  night  everyone  went  into  the  forest  to 
cut  more  trees. 

"You  children  did  well  with  the  mud  and  stones 
last  night,"  said  father.  "Now  you  may  try  your 
teeth  on  these  branches." 

"Are  we  going  to  make  another  dam?"  I  whis- 
pered to  mother,  as  father  went  away.  "  Houses," 
she  answered  between  her  teeth,  as  she  cut  a  chip 
out  of  the  side  of  a  tree.  So  while  the  older  ones  cut 
down  the  trees,  we  children  cut  off  the  branches. 


78 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


Although   the   days  were   bright   and  warm,   the 
nights  were  quite  cold,  and  each  morning  there  was 


that  hard  shining  surface  over  the  lake  that  they 
called  ice.  But  this  soon  disappeared  when  the  sun 
shone  on  it.     We  did  not  feel  cold,  however,  as  we 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  79 

worked.  No,  indeed!  There  is  nothing  like  work 
to  keep  one  warm.  When  daylight  came  there  was 
quite  a  clearing  about  the  pond,  that  was  growing 
broader  and  deeper  where  our  dam  held  the  water 
from  flowing  away.  Where  the  trees  had  stood  were 
only  stumps  about  as  high  as  I  am  when  I  sit  upon 
my  haunches  —  so. 

The  next  night  the  fun  began  in  earnest.  Our 
pond  was  quite  broad  by  this  time,  but  the  water 
was  still  shallow.  This  suited  our  purpose  well. 
Why  was  that  ?  Why,  don't  you  see,  it  is  hard  for 
us  to  move  our  logs  on  land,  but  when  we  get  them 
into  the  water  we  can  easily  float  them  where  we 
will.  Then,  of  course,  it  was  much  easier  for  us 
to  build  our  houses  in  shallow  water  than  where  the 
water  is  deep. 

I  did  not  know  all  this  then,  but  I  learned  a  great 
deal  before  our  home  was  finished. 

Where  the  families  were  large  they  built  houses 
by  themselves.  Where  they  were  small,  several 
families  built  one  together.     That  is,  they  were  under 


80  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

one  roof,  but  separated  from  each  other  by  parti- 
tions. All  the  logs  and  branches,  all  the  sticks  and 
stones  that  we  could  find,  were  used.  They  were 
laid  down  in  a  circle  and  held  in  place  by  mud  taken 
from  the  bottom  of  the  pond.  Each  family  took 
mud  from  about  its  own  house  until  a  deep  trench 
was  dug  all  around  the  house.  I  learned  why  this 
was  done  when  through  the  long,  cold  winter  the 
ice  became  thicker  and  thicker.  It  froze  to  the 
bottom  of  the  pond  in  some  places,  but  never  to  the 
bottom  of  the  trench.  Through  it  we  could  swim 
to  our  burrows  in  the  banks  whenever  we 
wished. 

In  a  wonderfully  short  time  the  walls  of  our 
houses  were  above  the  water.  It  took  several  nights 
of  hard  work  to  finish  them,  but  at  last  they  were 
done.  The  entrance  was  below  the  surface  of  the 
water.  This  led  into  a  room  big  enough,  in  our 
house,  for  father  and  mother,  my  five  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  myself  to  be  there  together.  Here  we 
stored  the  bark  we  had   taken   from  the  logs  and 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  8r 

sticks  which  we  had  used  in  building  our  houses  and 
dam. 

What  was  it  for  ?  To  eat,  to  be  sure.  Oh,  how 
good  it  was  during  that  long,  cold  winter! 

Over  this  room  there  was  another  one,  high  and 
dry  above  the  water,  which  was  now  quite  deep 
about  the  house.  Here  we  slept  on  our  beds  of  soft 
moss  and  leaves.  The  tops  of  our  houses  were 
round  and  from  two  to  three  times  the  length 
of  my  body  in  thickness.  Why  were  they  made 
so  thick  ?  To  protect  us  from  our  enemies,  for, 
although  we  never  harm  anyone,  we  do  have  some 
enemies. 

One  night  when  it  was  very  cold,  father  called 
all  the  beavers  in  the  village  together. 

"It  will  freeze  hard  to-night,"  he  said.  "Winter 
is  here.  It  is  time  for  the  last  coat  of  mud  to  be 
spread  over  our  houses.  Be  sure  that  no  crack  is 
left." 

By  morning  this  smooth  covering  of  mud  was 
frozen  so  hard  that  even  my  sharp  teeth  could  not 


82  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

cut  it.  Thus  it  remained  until  the  warmth  of  spring 
thawed  it. 

Here  we  spent  the  winter,  sleeping,  eating,  swim- 
ming off  to  our  burrows  in  the  bank  when  we  were 
tired  of  staying  at  home,  or  if  any  enemy  frightened  us. 

When  summer  came  and  the  ice  disappeared, 
and  the  beautiful  forest  grew  green  again,  we  left 
our  houses.  We  took  quite  a  journey  about  the 
country,  but  I  saw  no  place  so  pleasant  to  me  as  the 
home  we  had  made  in  the  little  lake. 

In  the  fall  we  returned  in  time  to  store  up  more 
bark  and  repair  our  houses  before  the  lake  froze 
over  again.  We  found  the  water  in  the  lake  so  deep 
that  it  was  flowing  over  the  top  of  our  dam.  So  we 
not  only  repaired  it,  but  we  built  it  higher  as  well. 

The  Attack 

One  day  when  it  was  very  cold  out  of  doors,  but 
oh,  so  comfortable  in  our  snug  houses,  a  strange  and 
terrible  noise  was  heard.  It  sounded  as  though  the 
roof  of  the  house  would  surely  be  broken  in. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  83 

"Come  -quickly,  everyone,"  called  father.  "It 
is  an  enemy.     Fly  to  the  burrows!" 

Some  hurried  one  way,  some  another.  I  followed 
father,  for  I  thought  I  should  be  safer  near  him. 
We  swam  toward  the  burrow  near  our  house.  A 
hole  had  been  cut  through  the  ice  across  the*  en- 
trance. It  was  too  late.  A  cruel  blow  fell  on  my 
father's  head  and  he  was  taken  from  the  water  quite 
dead.     The  man  who  killed  him  took  me  alive. 

"This  is  the  finest  skin  I  ever  saw.  It  will  bring 
a  good  price,"  I  heard  him  say,  as  he  stroked  the 
rich  brown  fur  on  father's  back. 

A  Capture 

"Let  us  take  the  young  one  home  alive,"  said 
his  companion. 

That  is  how  I  came  to  be  in  this  cage  instead  of 
ruling  our  village  in  the  wild,  beautiful  forest,  as 
my  father  did  before  me. 

I  am  going  to  sleep  now.  If  you  want  to  know 
any  more  about  me,  for  there  is  much  that  I  could 
tell,  you  must  come  some  other  time.     Good-bye! 


THE    BEAR    FAMILY 

Cold  and  still  and  white. 

That  is  how  the  earth  looked  to  the  sun  from 
away  up  in  the  bright  blue  sky. 

He  saw  no  sign  of  life.  Even  in  the  caves  in  the 
mountain  there  was  nothing,  so  far  as  he  could  see, 
but  the  whiteness  and  stillness.  In  the  valley  it 
was  stiller  and  whiter,  but  not  so  cold  as  up  on  the 
mountain. 

But  after  he  had  looked  a  long  time  he  saw  one 
little  spot  that  was  not  white.  It  was  at  the  end  of 
a  big  log  that  lay  buried  under  the  snow.  Here  ths 
snow  was  melted  away  as  though  the  sun,  himself, 
had  laid  his  warm  fingers  there. 

The  log  was  hollow,  but  the  sun  could  not  see 
inside  of  it.  If  he  could  have  done  so,  what  a  sight 
he  would  have  seen! 

At  first  it  would  have  looked  to  him  like  a  big 


86  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

roll  of  shaggy  brown  fur,  but  in  a  moment  he  would 
have  seen  that  this  roll  of  fur  had  a  head  and  four 
big  paws.  The  head  had  a  sharp  nose,  broad  fore- 
head, and  two  deep-set  eyes.  But  the  eyes  were 
closed  so  tight  they  might  not  have  been  discovered. 

Was  it  alive  ? 

The  gentle,  regular  breathing  told  that  it  was. 
It  was  this  warm  breath  that  had  melted  the  snow 
from  the  open  end  of  the  log. 

But  what  was  this  strange  thing  that  lay  so  still 
day  after  day,  week  after  week,  and  yet  was 
alive  ? 

It  was  a  big  brown  bear  waiting  for  the  spring- 
time to  bring  fresh  green  leaves,  herbs,  and  fruits 
for  her  to  eat.  This  was  the  food  she  liked  best. 
When  there  was  no  more  to  be  found,  she  hid  away 
and  slept  until  it  should  come  again. 

Had  she  lived  in  a  country  where  the  summer 
stays  all  the  year  she  would  not  have  done  this,  for 
there  she  would  always  have  found  plenty  to  eat. 
But    her   home   was   in    the    San    Juan    Mountains, 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


87 


where  the  winters  are  long  and  cold,  although  the 
summer  is  equally  long  and  warm. 

So  when  the  first  snow  of  winter  came,  she  found 
the  hollow  log,  looked  about  to  see  that  no  danger 


&  tirur  hm 


3 1 


Ad«- 


Lu 


^fcoAu     ^ON    CxTTvoYvC.. 


lay  near,  crept  in,  curled  herself  into  a  ball,  and 
went  to  sleep. 

Here  she  would  stay  until  the  food  she  liked 
could  be  found  again.  Sometimes,  when  she  was 
very  hungry,  and  nothing  else  could  be  found,  she 
had  eaten  other  animals,  but  she  really  liked  the 
vegetable  food  best. 

When  she  went  into  the  log  she  was  alone,  but 


88  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

since  then  two  tiny  cubs  had  come  to  live  with  her. 
They  were  not  larger  than  kittens  when  they  were 
born  and  had  no  fur  on  them.  Their  eyes  were 
closed  so  they  could  not  see.  Now  they  were  several 
weeks  old  and  were  clothed  in  a  soft  woolly  fur  and 
were  able  to  open  their  eyes,  if  they  wanted  to.  But 
they  did  not  often  want  to,  for  they  slept  most  of 
the  time  clasped  in  the  warm  embrace  of  their 
sleeping  mother. 

The  daily  visits  of  the  sun  grew  longer.  He 
seemed  to  come  closer  to  the  cold  earth.  The  white- 
ness in  the  valley  gave  place  to  a  beautiful  green. 
Only  the  mountain  peaks  still  wore  the  snowy  dress. 

The  warmth  of  the  sun  was  felt  through  the  log. 
The  mother  bear  knew  what  it  meant.  Spring  had 
come.     It  was  time  to  wake  up. 

She  stretched  her  limbs,  rubbed  her  great  paws 
over  her  face  and  crept  slowly  out  into  the  sunshine. 
She  shook  out  her  rough  coat  of  fur,  then  thrust  her 
head  into  the  log  again. 

Soon  the  little  cubs  were  rolling  together  on  the 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


89 


green  grass.  The  bright  sunshine  blinded  them. 
They  rubbed  their  eyes  and  looked  about.  This 
was  a  great  surprise  to  them.  They  had  not  thought 
beyond  the  hollow  log.  And  then  this  mother  of 
theirs!  They  had  never  seen  all  of  her  at  once 
before.     Who  would  have  thought  she  was  so  big? 


OC\.\KJ 


They  even  felt  a  little  afraid  of  her  as  she  walked 
about,  stretching  herself  in  the  warm  sunshine. 
Then  they  looked  at  each  other.  They  were  nearer 
the  size  of  their  own  thoughts. 

"You  must  walk,  too,"  said  the  mother  bear, 
rubbing  her  broad  face  gently  over  them. 

"We  don't  know  how,"  whimpered  the  little  ones. 


9o 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


"You  never  will  until  you  try,"  she  said.     "Watch 
me  and  do  as  I  do." 

Slowly  up  and  down  before  them  she  walked. 
"Be  sure  to  raise  both  feet  on  the  same  side  at 
once,  as  I  do,"  she  said.     "Then 
you'll   have   no  trouble." 

It  was  the  first  of  the  many 
lessons  they  were  to  have  before 
she  would  trust  them  to  live  with- 
out her. 

When  she  had  begun  her  long 

rA'iS    fast  she  was  so  fat  and  comfort- 
,  '//It     able     that    none    but    the    most 

provoking  enemy  could  have  dis- 
turbed her.     She  had    not  eaten 
anything  for   many   months   and 
was  now  hungry  as  only  a  bear 
can  be.     Is  it  any  wonder    that 
she  felt  a  little  cross  ?     But   she  was  not  cross  with 
her  children.      No,  indeed!      Hungry    as    she   was, 
her  first  care  was  to  teach  them  what  kind  of  food 


|  CV\w\V>\Aq 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  91 

was  the  best  for  them,  and  how  to  get  it.  No  mother 
could  have  been  more  tender  with  her  twin  babies 
than  she  was  with  these  little  round,  curly,  black 
balls  with  white  rings  around  their  necks,  that 
toddled  along  after  her. 

She  had  looked  like  them  once,  but  now  her  fur 
was  longer  and  more  shaggy,  especially  around  her 
neck  and  legs.  She  was  not  so  dark  in  color  as  they. 
Her  fur  was  brown,  the  longer  part  being  tipped 
with  yellow,  and  she  had  lost  the  white  collar  she 
had  worn  when  young.  But  she  was  as  fine  a  speci- 
men of  the  Brown  Bear  as  one  would  wish  to  see. 
Anyone  —  that  is,  any  bear  —  might  be  proud  to 
call  her  his  mother. 

But  would  she  ever  get  enough  to  eat!  Looking 
hungrily  about  she  saw  a  rabbit  nibbling  the  grass 
not  far  away.  Just  the  thing!  But  her  children 
must  not  know  that  she  liked  to  eat  rabbits.  The 
only  food  for  them  was  the  sweet  herbs  and  fruits. 
She  liked  them  best  herself  —  but  now  she  was  so 
hungry! 


02 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


She  looked  at  the  cubs.  They  were  having  a 
regular  "tug-of-war"  over  a  long  tough  root.  They 
did  not  see  her.     With  a  swiftness  that  would  have 


^—      ., 

11                     \                  Vt           '<S*S==^ 

_^ 

1 

*2m 

. 

surprised  her  small  children  and  a  good  many  larger 
people  besides,  she  galloped  away. 

But  the  rabbit  was  too  quick  for  her.  He  heard 
her  coming,  and  with  flying  leaps  he  was  soon  far 
beyond  her  reach.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to 
go   back   and   eat   leaves   and   roots   with   the   cubs. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


93 


They  were  still  romping  together  in  the  grass.     They 
had  not  missed  her. 

Early  the  next  morning  she  led  them  across  the 


*\V«  WVovwvwo 

/>— <o 

J  A     ■$& 

/^~     3> 

!mt>^^<P^^iL'^iW 

7^  3**. 

^y)'^0^j 

-    ->.      v    .     '  •   ■?  ■'.-  '  ■"  'V  '        •'     ' 

narrow  valley  into  the  thick  woods  that  lay  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  where  a  clear  stream  was 
dashing  gaily  down  the  mountain  side. 

Resting  her  great  paws  en  the  rocks  about  which 


94  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

the  water  flowed,  she  called  her  children  to  her. 
Thinking  that  some  new  dainty  was  in  store  for 
them,  they  pressed  close  to  her  side.  With  a  look 
of  earnest  purpose  on  her  face  she  took  first  one 
and  then  the  other  and  plunged  them  into  the 
stream. 

"Oh!"  gasped  the  little  cubs,  as  their  tender 
feet  touched  the  cold  water.  They  looked  like 
babies  about  to  cry.  But  the  mother  knew  her 
duty.  The  morning  bath  must  not  be  neglected. 
As  she  set  them  upon  the  stones  to  dry  a  sound  like 
a  bearish  laugh  was  heard  in  the  tree  over  their 
heads. 

"Ah,  there  you  are!"  said  the  mother.  "I've 
been  looking  for  you.  Come  down  at  once.  I  have 
work  for  you  to  do." 

This  was  not  at  all  to  young  Bruin's  taste.  He 
did  not  move.  Slowly  the  mother  walked  to  the 
tree  and  raised  her  forepaws  as  though,  if  he  would 
not  come  to  her,  she  would  go  to  him.  Then  he 
seemed  to   think  she    meant  what  she  said,  for  he 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


95 


drew  himself  together  and    came    slowly  down  the 
tree. 

The  mother,  who  had  not  seen  him  since  they 


went  into  their  separate  winter  homes,  received  him 
with  a  sounding  box  on  the  ear  from  her  heavy  paw. 
"Do  you  see  these  children  ?"  she  said.  "Well, 
you  are  to  help  me  take  care  of  them,  as  your  sister 
took  care  of  you  last  year." 


96  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  life  for  the 
little  cubs.  When  young  Bruin  neglected  them,  the 
mother  always  punished  him  by  boxing  his  ears. 
One  day,  in  crossing  a  stream,  he  slyly  dropped  his 
small  brother  where  the  water  flowed  the  swiftest. 
The  watching  mother  rushed  in,  seized  her  strug- 
gling baby  in  her  mouth,  her  usual  way  of  carrying 
them,  laid  her  heavy  paw  on  the  ear  of  the  careless 
nurse  and  swam  swiftly  to  shore. 

So  they  wandered  about,  some  days  far  up  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  some  nights  far  out  on  the 
plain  that  lay  beyond.  Their  longest  journeys  were 
taken  under  cover  of  the  night.  At  times  the  mother 
led  them  into  new  and  unknown  places,  but  usually 
they  followed  the  same  path,  day  after  day,  night 
after  night.  They  slept  when  they  could  eat  no 
more  and  woke  only  to  wander  on  and  eat  again. 
When  the  summer  came  with  ripening  fruits  and 
grains,  there  was  no  lack  of  the  food  they  liked  best. 
Even  up  on  the  mountains,  wherever  a  fire  had 
made  a  clearing,  the  raspberries  grew  in  abundance, 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  97 

while  the  valley  was  full  of  grains  and  other  wild 
fruits. 

The  mother,  who  had  grown  very  thin  in  her 
wanderings,  became  fat  and  comfortable  again.  The 
little  cubs  grew  wonderfully  and  became  quite 
learned  in  bear-wisdom.  With  their  mother  as  a 
teacher,  and  their  elder  brother  as  a  constant  ex- 
ample they  learned  to  climb  trees,  run  swiftly,  and 
swim  with  great  ease. 

One  night  in  their  wanderings,  they  came  upon 
a  lonely  miner's  cabin.  A  small  garden  of  potatoes, 
about  the  only  thing  that  could  be  raised  so  high 
on  the  mountain,  grew  beside  the  cabin. 

The  miner  was  in  his  cabin,  sleeping  as  only  a 
miner  can  after  a  hard  day's  work.  The  potatoes 
were  ripe  and  ready  to  dig.  This  the  bears  saved 
him  the  trouble  of  doing,  for  they  rooted  them  up 
and  ate  them,  every  one.  They  went  nearer  to  his 
closed  door.  Ah!  what  was  it  lying  there  to  be 
cooled  by  the  night  air  ?  It  was  a  water-melon, 
carried   by   the    miner    from    the    plain    beyond   the 


98 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


mountain.  It  was  to  have  made  a  feast  for  him 
the  next  day.  This  his  uninvited  guests  also  saved 
him  the  trouble  of  doing;    for  what  could  be  more 


to  the  taste  of  the  sweet-loving  bears  than  a  cool, 
ripe  water-melon  ? 

The  next  morning  when  the  miner  opened  his 
door,  he  found  the  few  small  pieces  that  told  of  his 
melon.  He  saw  his  garden  destroyed.  He  saw 
foot-prints  in  the  soft  soil. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  99 

"Some  man  has  done  this,"  he  said  to  himself 
as  he  looked  at  the  prints.  "But,  no,  although  so 
like  a  man's  foot,  it  is  different.  These  toes  have 
long  sharp  claws.  It  was  a  bear.  These  tracks  are  of 
different  sizes,  too.  It  must  have  been  an  old  one  and 
her  cubs.  I'll  catch  her  the  next  time  she  comes. 
Her  skin  would  make  a  fine  warm  coat,  and  I  am  hun- 
gry for  some  bear-steak  now.    She'd  better  look  out." 

But  the  old  bear  did  not  go  again.  She  was 
willing  to  eat  his  potatoes  and  melons,  but  she  did 
not  care  to  meet  him,  especially  now  that  she  had 
little  ones  to  care  for  and  protect. 

While  the  miner  was  looking  over  his  garden, 
the  bears  were  sleeping  contentedly  in  a  thicket  in 
the  forest.  Young  Bruin  woke  first.  He  looked 
cautiously  at  his  mother.  She  was  sleeping  heavily. 
His  small  brothers  lay  beside  her  with  their  heads 
buried  in  her  shaggy  breast. 

"A  good  chance  for  some  fun  all  to  myself," 
he  thought.  Out  of  the  thicket  he  crept  and  slipped 
quietly  away. 


ioo  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

When  the  mother  awoke  it  was  a  sorry  looking 
object  that  stood  before  her.  His  eyes  were  swollen 
almost  shut.  His  nose  was  twice  the  natural  size. 
His  head  hung  down  between  his  legs.  All  about 
his  face  the   fur  was   sticky  and   matted   together, 


while  here  and  there  a  dead  bee  was  stuck  fast  in  the 
fur. 

He  did  not  need  to  tell  her  what  he  had  been 
doing.  His  swollen  face,  the  dead  bees,  and  the 
honey-matted  fur  told  all  too  well  of  the  bee-hive 
robbed  of  its  rich  store. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  roi 

One  day  as  they  were  strolling  over  the  moun- 
tain, they  met  one  like  them,  and  yet  unlike.  He 
was  smaller  than  the  mother,  although  he  was  not 
young.  His  fur  was  short  and  smooth  and  a  beauti- 
ful glossy  black.  When  he  saw  them  he  scrambled 
nimbly  up  a  tree  and  watched  them  as  they  passed  by. 

"Who  is  he,  mother?"  asked  young  Bruin. 
"Does  he  belong  to  us?" 

"No,"  she  answered.  "He  is  a  Black  Bear 
who  lives  farther  over  the  mountain.  His  family 
is  much  larger  than  ours  and  more  common  in  this 
country." 

"I  never  saw  anyone  climb  a  tree  as  he  did," 
said  young  Bruin,  who  seemed  to  admire  his  newly- 
found  neighbor. 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  mother,  "he  can  climb 
better  than  any  other  bear.  But  what  of  it  ?  Come 
on." 

So  they  went  on  their  way. 

The  nights  began  to  grow  cold  on  the  mountains, 
but  the  days  were  still  warm  in  the  sheltered  valley. 


102  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

The  cubs  had  grown  wonderfully  during  the  sum- 
mer. The  older  brother  was  almost  as  big  as  his 
mother.  Their  fur  had  become  very  thick  and  warm, 
and  they  were  all  so  fat  they  could  hardly  walk. 
They  would  need  all  they  had  gained  before  the 
winter  was  over.     They  felt  more  like  lying  in  the 


k  TW&t 


sunshine  and  sleeping  than  anything  else.  The  time 
for  sleeping  was  at  hand.  They  had  already  chosen 
their  resting-places.  The  mother's  was  in  a  cave 
under  the  roots  of  a  tree;  those  of  the  cubs  in  hollow 
logs  near  by. 

One  night  the  snow  fell  thick  and  fast.     Winter 
had  come.     There  was  nothing  to  do  but  sleep  until 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


103 


it  was  gone  —  that  is,  only  one  thing.  During  those 
long  winter  days  and  nights  many  hours  would  be 
spent  in  sucking  their  paws,  but  not,  as  some  people 
think,  as  a  source  of  food. 

They   had   walked   many   miles  on   these   paws 


during  the  summer  and  they  had  grown  very  rough 
and  hard.  A  new  skin  would  form  while  they  were 
resting;  so,  to  help  remove  the  old  one,  they  would 
suck  their  paws  during  their  half-sleeping  hours. 

And  so  they  slept  until  the  sunshine  of  another 
spring  should  waken  them. 


THE   RACCOONS 

How  They  Came  and  Went 

"Another  chicken  gone!  This  is  the  third.  We 
must  set  a  trap  to  catch  the  thief,  whatever  it 
is. 

Mr.  Preston  looked  troubled.  Philip  and  Henry 
walked  about  with  their  eyes  on  the  white  feathers 
that  were  scattered  on  the  ground,  which  told  the 
story  of  the  chicken's  fate.  "See,  papa,"  called 
Philip,  "here's  a  track  in  the  mud.  Some  animal 
made  it." 

They  all  examined  it  closely.  It  was  long  and 
slender  and  showed  plainly  the  print  of  five  sharp 
claws. 

"Here's  another,"  said  Henry,  "and  here,  and 
here!     I  wonder  what  made  them." 

Just  then  Jim,  the  colored  boy  who  worked  on 
the  farm,  came  around  the  barn. 

*°5 


io6 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


"Dem's  'coon  tracks,"  he  said,  with  a  glance  at 
the  foot-prints  in  the  mud.     "I  knows  'em." 

"We  must  catch  the  rascal,  Jim,"  said  Mr.  Pres- 
ton.    "Shall  we  set  a  trap?" 

"Trap!"  exclaimed  Jim,  with  some  scorn.     "No, 


sah,  let's  have  no  traps.  I'll  catch  dat  'coon  wid- 
out  a  trap  'fore  hit's  many  hours  older.  'Twon't  be 
coming  here  for  chickens  again."  And  Jim  grinned 
until  he  showed  all  his  white  teeth. 

That   night,   as   Philip   and   Henry  lay  in   their 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  107 

little  bed,  far  away  over  the  hills  they  heard  the  loud 
barking  of  dogs. 

Henry  sat  up  to  listen.  The  moonlight,  still 
and  bright,  streamed  through  the  open  window. 
The  only  sound  to  be  heard  was  the  barking  of  the 
dogs. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked  close  to  Philip's  ear. 
"Dogs — coon — Jim,"  was  the  sleepy  reply.  "Oh!" 
Henry  settled  back  on  his  pillow,  and  in  a  moment 
both  were  fast  asleep  again. 

In  the  morning  they  ran  to  the  barn  to  see  Jim 
and  hear  about  the  "coon  hunt." 

"Jes'  look  here,"  called  Jim,  as  he  finished  nail- 
ing a  piece  of  wire  net  over  a  large  box. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Philip,  peeping  cautiously 
into  the  box,  where  he  saw  what  looked  like  a  roll 
of  gray  and  brown  fur. 

"Dat's  de  coon,  to  be  sure,"  replied  Jim  with 
some  pride. 

"Is  he  alive?"  asked  Henry. 

"Alive!"    exclaimed  Jim.     "Well,  I  jes'  reckon 


108  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

if  you'd  ben  'long  las'  night  you'd  thought  hit  war 
alive." 

"But  what  are  those  rats  in  there  for?"    asked 


Philip,  who  saw  something  else  in  the  box  besides 
the  roll  of  shaggy  fur.     "Do  'coons  eat  rats?" 

Then  how  Jim  did  laugh!  It  was  a  whole 
minute  before  he  could  speak.  The  boys  looked 
at  him  in  surprise  as  he  leaned  against  the  side  of 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and   Sea  109 

the  barn,  his  mouth  open  so  wide  as  to  really  look 
dangerous,  while  he  laughed  so  loudly  and  so  long 
that  Mr.  Preston,  standing  on  the  front  porch, 
started  toward  the  barn  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 
When  Jim  could  speak,  he  said,  "Rats!  If  dat 
aint  jes'  the  bestest  joke  dat  I  eber  heard  tell  ob. 
Why,  honey,  dem's  baby  'coons." 

Philip  was  so  surprised  that  he  forgot  to  be  angry 
with  Jim  for  laughing.  Henry,  looking  at  them 
more  closely,  said,  "They  do  look  like  rats,  Jim. 
They're  no  bigger  and  they  haven't  any  more  hair 
on  them  than  on  a  rat.  But  why  don't  they  wake 
up  ?     I  want  to  see  their  eyes." 

"They're  not  asleep,"  said  Jim.  "Only  has  der 
eyes  shut.     Baby  'coons  neber  any  oder  way." 

"Can't  they  open  their  eyes?"    asked  Henry. 

"Not  'til  dey's  twenty-one  days  old,"  said  Jim. 

"How  old  are  they  now,  Jim?"  asked  Philip. 

"Can't  jes'  say,"  replied  Jim,  "but  if  you  keep 
count  you  kin  tell,  'cause  dey'll  open  dose  eyes  when 
dey's  twenty-one  days  old,  sure  as  dey's'  coons." 


no 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


"That's  —  why,  that's  three  weeks,"  said  Philip, 
counting  on  his  fingers.    "What  a  long  time.    Why? 


Tvttof 


"Don't  know  why,"  answered  Jim.  "Only  jes' 
know  it's  so." 

"See,  papa,"  called  Henry,  as  Mr.  Preston  joined 
them,  "here  is  the  coon  and  she  has  four  little  ones." 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  in 

"How  did  you  manage  to  bring  her  home  alive, 
Jim?"   asked  Mr.  Preston. 

"Jes'  dis  way,  sah,"  replied  Jim.  "It  wa'n't 
no  time  'fore  de  dogs  treed  her.  You  mus'  hab  heard 
dem  barkin\  When  I  see  her  head  a-stickin'  out'n 
de  hole  in  de  hollow  limb  ob  de  tree  whar  her  nest 
was  I  tinks  to  myself,  'Dat  'coon's  skin '11  make  a 
fine  cap  and  I'll  hab  de  bestest  dinner  ob  'coon  meat 
and  sweet  'taters  yet.'  But  when  I  foun'  de  babies 
I  hadn't  de  heart  to  let  de  dogs  git  her.  So  I  jes' 
climbed  de  tree,  took  off  my  coat  and  held  it  ober 
de  hole  and  wid  a  club  drove  her  into  it.  She  fought 
hard,  but  I  caught  her  at  last.  Ob  co'se  de  babies 
was  easy  to  manage.  Maybe,  sah,  after  dey's 
growed  you'll  let  me  hab  de  old  un." 

"Will  they  ever  be  as  big  as  the  mother?"  asked 
Philip. 

"Too  soon,  I  fear,"  laughed  his  father.  "I  hope 
she  won't  tell  them  how  good  my  chickens  are." 

"May  we  keep  them,  papa?"  asked  Henry. 

"So  long  as  they  behave  themselves,"  was  the 


na  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

reply.  "But,  Jim,  you  must  make  a  large  cage  for 
them.  It  would  be  cruel  to  keep  them  in  so  small 
a  box." 

Jim  went  to  work  at  once  and  soon  the  new  cage 
was  done.     It  was  large  enough  for  the  mother  rac- 


coon to  move  about  freely.  But  she  looked  very 
unhappy  as  she  moved  back  and  forth  with  an  awk- 
ward sidewise  motion,  rubbing  her  thick  long  fur 
against  the  sides  of  her  cage.  Her  head  hung  down, 
her  back  was  arched  up  with  the  long  brown  hairs 
bristling  all  over   it,   through  which   could   be   seen 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  113 

the  thick  mass  of  soft  gray  fur  that  lay  close  to  the 
skin.  She  was  two  feet  long,  with  a  tail  about 
eight  inches  long,  beautifully  marked  with  rings  of 
gray  and  brown,  and  a  tip  of  black. 

"She'd  be  pretty  if  she  wasn't  so  cross,"  said 
Philip. 

"She'll  git  ober  bein'  cross  if  we're  good  to  her," 
said  Jim.  "She  ain't  forgot  dat  nest  in  de  hollow 
tree  yet." 

"Come,  Henry,"  said  Philip,  "let's  get  her  some- 
thing to  eat.     What  does  she  like  best,  Jim?" 

"Dat's  a  hard  question,"  said  Jim,  "for  she'll 
eat  anything  from  a  grasshopper  to  dat  turkey  gob- 
bler (if  she  could  git  him),  not  forgettin'  de  vege- 
tables and  fruits.  Suppose  you  try  her  now  wid 
apples  and  a  pan  ob  nice  fresh  water.  She  must 
hab  plenty  ob  water,  and  nothin'  would  please  her 
more  than  a  fish  or  a  frog." 

When  the  boys  returned,  Jim  opened  the  slide 
in  the  side  of  the  cage  and  they  slipped  the  water 
and  food  in. 


H4  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

The  raccoon  raised  her  head  to  see  what  was 
happening,  and  when  she  saw  the  pan  of  water  she 
thrust  her  paw  into  it,  as  though  to  see  how  deep  it 
was.  Then  her  long  nose  followed,  and  she  drank 
until  she  could  drink  no  more.  She  seamed  to  feel 
better  at  once.  Then  she  took  an  apple  between 
her  fore  paws,  which  seemed  more  like  hands  than 
feet,  and  turned  it  over  to  look  at  it  and  smell  of  it. 

But  before  she  ate  it  she  dipped  it  into  the  water, 
rubbing  it  between  her  paws  as  though  washing  it. 
Everything  she  ate  was  treated  in  the  same  way. 
It  seemed  to  be  her  mode  of  preparing  her  food. 
Even  the  fish,  fresh  from  the  pond,  that  the  boys 
brought  to  her,  was  served  in  like  manner.  She  ate 
everything  that  was  given  her. 

Then  suddenly,  with  a  twist  of  her  body  like  a 
somersault,  her  sulky  fit  was  gone  and  she  looked 
up  with  a  bright,  sly  glance  as  though  to  ask  that 
bygones  be  bygones. 

Now  for  the  first  time  the  boys  had  a  good  look 
at  her  face.     It  was  a  broad  face  with  a  sharp  nose 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  115 

—  the  inquisitive,  meddlesome  kind  of  nose  that  is 
always  prying  into  other  people's  business.  The 
eyes  were  bright  and  close-set,  and  the  black  stripe 
down  the  nose  and  around  the  eyes,  with  the  white 
one  across  the  forehead  and  down  the  cheeks,  gave 
her  a  cunning  look,  not  altogether  trustworthy. 

The  little  raccoons  grew  fast  and  the  mother 
was  very  devoted  to  them.  Each  day  the  boys  made 
a  mark  on  the  cage  so  that  they  might  know  how  long 
they  would  keep  their  eyes  shut.  They  began  to 
fear  they  would  never  open  when,  one  morning,  as 
they  peered  into  the  cage,  they  saw  four  pairs  of  new 
black  eyes  shining  in  a  dark  corner.  They  counted 
the  marks  on  the  cage. 

"Eighteen!"   announced  Philip. 

"Eighteen  and  three  more  are  twenty-one,  and 
that's  three  weeks,"  said  Henry,  proud  of  his  skill 
in  mathematics.  "So  they  were  three  days  old  when 
we  got  them." 

"Papa,  papa,"  they  called.  "Come  and  see! 
Our  coons  have  opened  their  eyes."     The  mother 


n6  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

raccoon  seemed  very  proud  of  this  added  charm 
in  her  children  and  she  walked  around  them 
rubbing  her  thick  fur  against  their  little  woolly 
bodies. 

"Their  fur  is  beginning  to  look  a  little  like  hers, 
isn't  it?"  said  Henry.  "And  see  how  they  run 
about,  now  that  they  can  see." 

"They  must  have  more  freedom,  now,"  said  Mr. 
Preston.  "Make  a  little  hole  somewhere,  so  they 
can  go  in  and  out,  but  don't  let  the  mother  out. 
She's  not  to  be  trusted." 

"What  would  she  do?"  asked  Philip,  who  felt 
rather  sorry  for  her,  as  she  tried  to  stick  her  nose 
through  the  bars  of  the  cage. 

"Probably  make  away  to  the  woods  as  fast  as 
she  could  go,"  replied  his  father,  "taking  her  babies 
with  her." 

"Then  she  must  stay  where  she  is,"  said  Henry. 
"See  how  she  watches  them  as  they  run  about  in 
the  grass." 

When  the  little  ones  got  beyond  her  sight,  the 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


117 


mother  called  them  back  with  a  low,  whining  cry, 
as  she  walked  back  and  forth  in  the  cage. 

Philip  and  Henry  never  tired  of  watching  their 
pets,  who  showed  some  new  trick  every  day.  They 
soon  learned  that  the  coming  of  the  boys  meant 
something  good  to  eat,  and  as  this  was  about  the 
only  thought  in  their  little  round  heads,  they  were 
always  glad  to  see  them.  They  would  even  run  to 
meet  them,  climb  up  their  legs,  and  pry  into  their 
pockets  for  the  good  things  sure  to  be  found  there. 

It  was  great  fun  for  the  boys  and  the  raccoons, 
but  rather  hard  on  the  clothes  when  the  sharp  little 
claws  clung  too  tightly  or  the  impudent  little 
noses  became  too  eager  in  their  search  for 
treasures. 

The  mother,  too,  had  her  tricks.  She  seemed 
quite  reconciled  to  her  cage  and  looked  upon  the  boys 
as  her  friends.  They  were  always  kind  to  her,  so 
why  should  she  not  ? 

But  the  little  ones  learned  many  things  that  the 
boys  did  not  teach  them.     Did  the  mother  raccoon 


n8 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


whisper  to  them  of  the  things  she  had  done  in  her 
life  of  liberty  ?     Who  can  tell  ? 

Certain  it  is  that  nothing  was  safe  from  the  greedy 
little  raccoons,  who  were  every  day  growing  larger 


and  looking  more  like  their  mother.  It  was  a  tight 
squeeze  for  them  to  get  through  the  opening  in  the 
cage  that  had  been  made  for  them. 

"  But  we  can't  make  it  bigger,"  said  Philip,  as 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  119 

he  watched  them  squeezing  their  fat  little  bodies  in 
and  out  of  the  cage.  "If  we  do,  the  mother  can  go 
through  it,  and  then  'good-by'  to  them  all." 

When  the  little  raccoons  saw  how  much  their 
mother  enjoyed  the  sweet  green  corn  that  the  boys 
brought  her,  they  decided  to  have  some,  too.  So, 
in  the  night,  their  favorite  time  for  such  adventures, 
they  found  the  garden  where  it  was  growing.  In 
the  morning  the  broken  stalks,  the  nibbled  ears,  and 
the  foot-prints  in  the  soft  earth  were  plain  to  be 
seen,  but  the  little  raccoons,  with  their  heads  tucked 
between  their  hind  legs,  sleeping  the  contented  sleep 
of  the  well-fed,  told  no  tales. 

One  day  Henry,  coming  through  the  orchard, 
saw  one  of  the  raccoons  run  up  an  apple  tree  where 
a  robin  had  her  nest.  He  knew  the  nest  well,  for 
he  and  Philip  had  watched  the  robins  build  it,  and 
now  they  knew  that  four  blue  eggs  lay  there.  He 
ran  shouting,  but  he  was  too  late.  One  stroke  of 
the  naughty  little  paw  and  the  nest  with  the  precious 
eggs  fell  to  the  ground,  while  the  robins  cried  pite- 


120  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

ously  from  a  tree  near  by.     But  this  was  not  all. 
Before   Henry  could  reach  the  spot  the  little  thief 


was  down  the  tree  and  began  to  eat  the  eggs  before 
his  eyes. 

If  ever  a  raccoon  deserved  a  whipping  this  one 
did.  He  had  it,  too,  but  it  only  made  him  sulky 
as  he  ran  home  and  crept  into  his  mother's  arms. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  121 

He  must  have  told  her  all  about  it,  for  she  looked 
cross,  too. 

In  the  pond  near  the  barn  the  frogs  and  fishes 
lived  happily  with  the  ducks  and  geese.  The  young 
raccoons  learned  that  fish  and  frogs  are  good. 
Their  mother  must  have  told  them  how  to  catch 
them,  for  soon  the  cheerful  croaking  of  the  frogs 
ceased  to  be  heard  in  the  twilight,  and  a  fish  was 
seldom  seen  darting  through  the  water. 

"I  believe  those  'coons  have  killed  them  all," 
said  Mr.  Preston,  as  he  and  the  boys  were  walking 
around  the  pond.  But  when  Jim  came  in  bearing 
a  duck,  and  told  how  he  had  seen  one  of  the  rac- 
coons seize  it  and  kill  it  before  he  could  save  it,  it 
was  too  much. 

"Those  rascals  must  be  either  killed  or  locked 
up,"  said  Mr.  Preston.  "This  is  worse  than  having 
the  wild  ones  come  from  the  woods.  Their  skins 
would  be  worth  a  good  deal." 

"Please  look  for  them,  Jim,"  urged  Philip. 
"Perhaps  they  have  gone  back  to  their  old  home." 


122  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

"No,  sah,"  said  Jim,  with  a  grin.  "Dat  mammy 
'coon  know  too  much  for  dat."     And  Jim  was  right. 

In  another  part  of  the  forest  she  had  taken  her 
little  family.  She  knew  every  hollow  tree  for  miles 
around.     She   had   not   forgotten   one.     The   young 


/    /UA\t       \ 


raccoons  had  never  known  any  home  but  the  cage 
they  had  just  left,  but  the  feeling  of  freedom  in  the 
forest  filled  them  with  delight.  They  hardly  knew 
their  mother,  she  was  so  lively  and  so  playful,  even 
playing  tricks  on  her  children  whenever  she  had  a 
chance. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


123 


She  led  them  to  a  new  hollow  in  a  new  tree  far 
away  from  the  home  where  they  were  born.  Here 
they  stayed  with  her  through  the  winter,  sleeping 
most  of  the  time,  but  on  the  warm,  bright  days 
leaving  the  nest  to  hunt  for  food.     As  they  were  not 


over-particular,  they  always  found  something  to  eat; 
then  they  went  back  to  the  "nest  tree"  for  another 
long  sleep. 

When  springtime  came  they  left  their  mother  and 
went  to  live  in  other  hollow  trees,  but  Philip  and 
Henry  never  saw  them  again. 


THE   RABBITS 
The  Adventures  of  Molly  Cotton-tail 

Bang!  bang!  bang! 

Molly  Cotton-tail  trembled  from  the  tips  of  her 
long  ears  to  the  tip  of  her  very  short  tail. 

Never  before  had  such  a  noise  jarred  on  her 
sensitive  nerves.  In  fact,  it  was  the  first  sound 
worth  mentioning  that  she  had  ever  heard,  for  truth 
to  tell,  she  was  very  young.  Not  more  than  twenty 
days  had  passed  since  she  had  come  into  this  world 
of  frightful  noises  and  startling  experiences,  and 
those  days  had  been  spent  in  such  quiet  security 
that  she  had  never  dreamed  of  such  things. 

The  Home  Nest 

It  was  a  snug  little  nest  that  Molly  Cotton-tail's 
mother  prepared  for  her  six  helpless  children.  In 
a  burrow  under  a  sloping  hillside  she  had  made  this 


126 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


nest,  lining  it  with  soft  fur  plucked  from  her  own 
body. 

Here  Molly,  blind,  naked,  and  helpless,  with  her 


\1 

\>  VVYVIWV                     !     '    '         ' 

equally  blind  and  helpless  brothers  and  sisters,  had 
lived  for  twelve  days  without  opening  their  eyes. 

Then    they    began    to    look    about.     There    was 
nothing  to  see  but  themselves  and  the  mother,  who 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  127 

came  and  went  in  a  manner  very  strange  to  the 
little  ones,  who  did  not  know  about  the  big  world 
outside  of  the  small  burrow.  Neither  did  they  know 
with  what  care  she  covered  the  entrance  to  their 
home  each  time  she  came  and  went,  that  no  one  but 
herself  should  know  of  it. 

When  they  were  about  three  weeks  old,  with 
tender  care  the  mother  smoothed  down  the  soft  fur 
that  had  grown  beautifully  over  her  six  little  ones. 

Presentation  to  Their  Father 

"Come  with  me,"  she  said.  "It  is  time  for  your 
father  to  see  his  children." 

"Where  ?"  asked  one.     "Who?"  asked  another. 

"Come,"  was  her  only  reply. 

Out  through  the  narrow  entrance  to  the  burrow 
she  led  them. 

The  father  looked  greatly  surprised,  bur  he 
seemed  quite  proud  as  he  walked  about  them,  licking 
their  soft  fur.  It  is  a  sad  fact  that,  if  he  had  seen 
them  before  they  had  become  clothed  in  this  delicate 


128 


Furrv  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


dress,  he  would  doubtless  have  made  a  meal  off 
them  without  the  least  hesitation.  That  is  why  the 
gentle  mother  hid  them  away  so  carefully. 

But  now  as  the  mother,  with  her  little  ones  beside 
her,  lay  down  in  the  dewy  grass,  he  mounted  guard 


quite  as  though  he  thought  himself  their  natural 
protector.  Young  as  they  were,  however,  they  must 
now  look  out  for  themselves.  In  a  few  short  weeks 
another  helpless  family  would  claim  the  mother's 
care. 

Soon  they  began  to  run  about. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  129 

It  was  a  beautiful  world  where  the  little  Cotton- 
tails found  themselves.  A  thick  wood  full  of  de- 
lightful tangles  of  brier-bushes  covered  a  sloping 
hillside,  from  the  foot  of  which  stretched  a  broad 
plain  flooded  with  sunshine. 

The  little  Cotton-tails  thought  the  deep  shadows 
of  this  wood  very  inviting.  So  they  hopped  along 
up  the  hillside  in  their  funny  fashion,  until  they 
became  quite  separated  from  each  other. 

It  was  then  that  the  dreadful  bang!  fell  on  poor 
Molly's  unaccustomed  ears.  What  should  she  do  ? 
At  any  moment  the  unknown  sound  might  be  heard 
again. 

Hiding  from  Danger 

At  last  she  ventured  to  creep  cautiously  under  a 
burdock  leaf  that  was  conveniently  near.  Now 
Molly  Cotton-tail  did  not  know  it,  but  she  had  done 
the  best  thing  it  was  possible  for  her  to  do.  This 
burdock  leaf  had  turned  a  yellowish  brown  under 
the  late  summer  sun  and  it  would  have  taken  very 
sharp  eyes  to  discover  that  it  was  a  little  gray-brown 


13° 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


rabbit  curled  up  under  the  brown  leaf,  and  not  just 
another  leaf.  That  is  the  way  it  looked  to  the  man 
with  a  gun  over  his  shoulder  who  walked  by  so  close 
that  Molly's  timid  little  heart  leaped  into  her  throat 
and  stayed  there  long  enough  to  have  choked  her  — 


who's   coming? 


if  it  had  been  big  enough  to  choke  anyone.  But 
she  somehow  felt  confidence  in  the  burdock  leaf, 
so  she  sat  still  until  the  danger  was  past. 

But  if  the  man  with  the  gun  had  looked  closely, 
he  might  have  seen  something  about  the  little  gray- 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  [31 

brown  ball  under  the  leaf  that  was  not  to  be  seen 
on  the  leaf.  At  one  end  there  were  two  bright  round 
eyes  that  watched  him  very  closely,  over  which  stood, 
straight  and  strong,  two  big  pointed  ears  that  caught 
every  sound  he  made.  At  the  other  end  of  the  ball 
was  a  little  tuft  of  white,  that  looked  for  all  the 
world  as  though  a  bunch  of  white  cotton  had  stuck 
there  by  accident.  It  was  really  Molly's  funny  little 
tail  whereby  the  whole  tribe  of  Cotton-tails  were 
known  from  others  of  the  great  rabbit  family. 

A  fresh  green  plant  caught  Molly's  sharp  eyes 
as  she  sat  under  the  burdock  leaf.  With  a  hop  and 
a  jump  she  reached  it.  How  good  the  tender  leaves 
were  as  she  sat  and  nibbled  them! 

Tired  out  with  the  excitement  of  the  morning, 
she  crept  into  a  sheltered  nook  among  some  tall 
grasses  and  went  to  sleep. 

In  the  morning  the  deep  shadows  of  the  woods 
were  much  more  to  her  taste  than  the  glaring  sunlight 
of  the  plain.  But  when  she  woke  she  found  that 
the  sunshine  had  given  place  to  the  mellow  moon. 


132  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

It  was  quite  dark  in  the  woods.     The  plain  looked 
very  pleasant. 

With  swift  running  leaps  Molly  was  there.  To 
her  surprise  she  found  her  father,  mother,  brothers, 
and  sisters,  with  some  big  Cotton-tails  whom  she  did 
not  know,  there  before  her.  She  had  been  very 
lonely  without  them  and  feared  that  she  was  lost 
from  them  forever. 

A  Moonlight  Frolic 

What  a  jolly  time  they  had  there  frolicking  on 
the  moonlighted  plain. 

Far  away  in  the  distance  a  dog  was  barking 
loudly.     Molly's  quick  ears  caught  the  sound. 

"What's  that?"  she  asked  of  a  big  rabbit  beside 
her. 

"A  dog,"  he  answered,  shortly,  "but  he's  chained 
up  at  night,  so  there's  no  danger.  Oh,  I  know  all 
about  it"  —  and  his  big  eyes  sparkled  in  the  moon- 
light. "There's  a  fine  garden  full  of  lettuce  and 
cabbage  over  there  where  he  lives.     I've  been  there, 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


133 


but  it  is  only  safe  to  go  at  night,  for  during  the  day 
the  dog  is  not  chained.  He  almost  caught  me  one 
day.  If  I  had  not  run  so  fast  he  would  have  had  me. 
My!    but  it  scares  me  to  think  of  it.     That  lettuce 


<!'< 


what's   that? 


and  cabbage  are  good,  though.     It's  worth  the  risk 
just  to  taste  them.     Ever  eat  any?" 

Another  loud  bark  was  heard,  this  time  nearer. 

"He's  coming!"    exclaimed  the  big  rabbit,  be- 


134  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

ginning  to  beat  the  ground  vigorously  with  his  strong 
hind  foot. 

"What  is  it  ?"  asked  the  rest,  looking  up  quickly 
at  the  well-known  signal. 

"Dogs  are  coming,"  answered  the  big  rabbit. 

Away  through  the  moonlight  the  Cotton-tails 
scampered  and  were  soon  safe  in  the  protecting 
woods. 

So  the  days  went  by,  soon  bringing  autumn, 
which  in  turn  gave  place  to  winter. 

Change  of  Dress 

As  the  days  grew  colder,  Molly  Cotton-tail's 
little  body  grew  plumper  and  rounder,  her  fur  be- 
came thicker  and  longer.  The  brown  spots  gave 
place  to  gray  ones  and  these  to  white,  as  those  of 
her  family  who  live  in  the  colder  north  country  do, 
but  she  was  much  whiter  than  in  summer. 

Then  the  snow  came.  It  caught  Molly  far  away 
from  the  home  burrow,  but  she  crept  under  the 
edge  of  an  overhanging  rock,  curled  herself  into  a 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  135 

little  round  ball,  and  let  the  storm  beat  upon  her. 
By  moving  gently  from  side  to  side  she  kept  the 
snow  from  being  packed  too  closely  about  her. 
Soon  she  had  quite  a  snug  little  shelter  all  of  snow. 

The  First  Snow  Storm 

When    the   storm  was  over   she   crept   cautiously 


5//V., 


out.  What  a  wonderful  white  world  she  found 
glistening  in  the  sunlight!  The  air  was  crisp  and 
cold.  Just  the  time  for  a  run!  Off  she  went,  at 
every  leap  leaving  what  William  Hamilton  Gibson 
calls  her  "four-fold  autograph."  Have  you  ever 
seen  it  in  the  snow  on  a  winter  morning  ?     Can  you 


136  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

discover  that  the  two  front  prints  about  six  inches 
apart  are  made  by  the  long  hind  feet,  while  the  two 
behind  and  close  together  are  the  touch  of  the  short 
forepaws  ?  See  what  Gibson  says  about  it  in  "Sharp 
Eyes." 

So,  burrowing  in  the  snow  for  a  chance  leaf, 
nibbling  the  bark  of  trees  regardless  of  injury  to  the 
trees,  and  racing  over  the  snow,  Molly  spent  the 
winter. 

But  the  lovely  springtime  came,  followed  by  the 
glowing  summer. 

Molly  Goes  to  Housekeeping 

Then  Molly  dug  a  burrow  in  the  hillside  and 
plucked  fur  from  her  body  to  make  it  soft  and  warm, 
as  her  mother  had  done  the  summer  before.  Soon 
a  family  of  helpless  little  bunnies  came  to  her,  as 
she  had  come  to  her  mother,  and  like  that  mother, 
she  cared  for  them  with  tender  devotion. 

One  day  Molly  Cotton-tail  had  a  real  adventure. 

She  had  not  forgotten  that  garden  where  the  cab- 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  137 

bage  and  lettuce  had  grown  so  richly  the  year  before. 
If  only  there  was  no  dog!  She  had  seen  a  dog  in 
the  woods  one  day  and  if  she  had  not  run  into  her 
burrow  —  who  knows  what  might  have  happened! 
But  she  was  older  and  braver  now,  so  she  thought 


WHERE    WE     LIVE 


she  would  just  run  over  the  plain  and  take  a  peep 
at  that  garden. 

"Come  with  me,"  she  said  to  her  brothers  and 
sisters,  as  they  were  taking  their  breakfast  in  a  patch 
of  sweet  clover  on  the  edge  of  the  plain.  Off  they 
went. 


138  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

The  sun  was  shining  brightly  as  they  sped  along. 
Molly,  always  on  the  watch  for  danger,  saw  a  great 
bird  sailing  serenely  across  the  blue  sky.  It  was  a 
hawk,  whose  keen  eyes  spied  the  little  company 
darting  over  the  plain.  Well  he  knew  what  they 
were.  There  was  nothing  that  would  please  him 
better  for  his  breakfast  than  a  tender  little  rabbit. 
With  a  flap  of  his  strong  wings  he  swooped  down 
upon  the  defenceless  little  company,  seized  one  of 
Molly's  sisters  in  his  sharp  claws  and  flew  away. 

Frightened  and  angry  as  their  helpless  com- 
panion disappeared  from  their  sight,  all  the  Cotton- 
tails began  beating  the  ground  with  strong  hind  feet, 
their  unfailing  signal  in  times  of  distress.  Then 
they  scattered  in  every  direction. 

Visit  from  Jack  Rabbit 

"What's  the  trouble?"  said  a  deep  rabbit  voice 
in  Molly  Cotton-tail's  ear,  as  she  paused  breathless 
under  the  protection  of  a  thorny  bush. 

Look  ng  up  in  surprise  she  saw  a  rabbit    larger 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


39 


than  half  a  dozen  Cotton-tails,  standing  beside  her. 
He  was  about  the  same  color  as  Molly,  excepting 


his  tail,  which  was  black,  and  he  had  the  most  aston- 
ishing long  black  ears  she  ever  saw. 

''You're  little  Molly  Cotton-tail,  aren't  you?" 
he  continued,  as  he  saw  her  look  of  surprise.  "I've 
heard  of  you.  Want  to  know  who  I  am?  Well, 
I'm  your  cousin,  Jack  Rabbit.     I  live  away  across 


140  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

the  plain.  I  should  smother  up  under  those  trees 
where  you  live." 

"But  aren't  you  afraid  of  the  dogs  and  hawks?" 
asked  Molly,  shivering  at  the  thought  of  them. 

"Afraid!"  laughed  Jack.  "I'd  like  to  see  the 
dog  or  hawk  that  could  catch  me.  Look  at  my  hind 
legs.  Oh,  to  be  sure  yours  are  long  and  strong  for 
a  little  thing  like  you,  but  mine  help  me  to  run  as 
no  other  animal  can.     Good-bye,  I  must  go  now." 

With  leap  after  leap,  the  sight  of  which  quite 
took  Molly  Cotton-tail's  breath  away,  the  athletic 
Jack  bounded  over  the  plain  and  was  soon  lost  to 
sight. 

Molly  went  back  to  the  woods.  If  the  garden 
was  to  be  visited  it  must  be  done  at  night. 

A  Foraging  Expedition 

So  one  still  dark  night  the  little  company  gathered 
and  sped  away  to  the  tempting  garden.  Such  rich- 
ness they  had  never  dreamed  of.  Silently  and  swiftly 
the  luscious  cabbages  were  devoured.     When  morn- 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  141 

ing  came  it  was  a  sorry  sight  that  met  the  eye  of  the 
gardener,  but  no  sign  of  the  destroyers  were  to  be 
seen. 

"Nothing  but  rabbits  could  have  done  it,"  he 
said,  shaking  his  head. 

When  the  snow  of  the  next  winter  began  to  fall, 
it  found  Molly  ready  for  it  with  thick  warm  fur  and 
body  growing  plumper  every  day. 

The  Capture 

One  day  the  sound  that  had  startled  her  infant 
ears  rang  loudly  through  the  woods.  Again  and 
again  it  was  heard.  Nearer  and  nearer  it  came. 
A  dog  with  his  nose  to  the  ground  ran  straight  to 
where  Molly  lay  in  hiding.  There  was  nothing  to 
do  but  run.  She  was  too  late.  Another  bang!  and 
Molly  Cotton-tail  fell  dead. 

But  although  her  life  was  ended  her  usefulness 
was  not. 

That  evening,  with  several  other  rabbits,  she  hung 
by  one   strong,   but   now  helpless,  hind  foot   in  the 


142  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

frosty  air  outside  a  market  door  in  a  big  city.  Down 
the  street  came  a  man  with  bent  head  and  troubled 
face. 

"No  turkey  for  Thanksgiving  this  year,"  he 
thought.  "These  are  hard  times.  I  never  was  so 
poor  before." 

Just  then  he  raised  his  head  and  saw  the  rabbits. 

A  Rabbit  Pie 

"A  rabbit  pie  would  be  good,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, a  smile  chasing  away  the  troubled  look,  "and 
rabbits  are  cheap." 

As  he  inquired  of  the  market-man  the  price,  he 
said,  "I'll  take  this  little  Cotton-tail.  She  looks 
good  and  plump." 

So  Molly  was  wrapped  up  and  he  carried  her 
home. 

"I  could  not  afford  a  turkey  this  year,"  he  said, 
as  his  wife  met  him  at  the  door,  "but  I  thought  we 
might  be  thankful  if  we  had  a  rabbit." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  she  answered  brightly,  "we  have 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  143 

much  to  be  thankful  for,  and  a  rabbit  pie  will  make 
a  good  dinner." 

"What  a  pretty  little  rabbit!"  she  exclaimed,  as 
she  took  off  the  wrapping  and  stroked  Molly's  soft 
fur. 

A  Fur  Muff 

Then  she  looked  up  with  a  happy  smile. 

"It  is  just  the  thing!"  she  said.  "I  can  make 
a  dainty  little  muff  for  Susie  out  of  this  nice  fur  for 
her  Christmas  present.  I  have  been  wondering  what 
we  could  get  for  the  dear  child  that  would  not  cost 
much.  This  is  the  very  thing,  and  this  cunning 
little  white  tail  shall  go  on  top.  Nothing  could  make 
her  happier." 

And  so  it  was  that  Molly  Cotton-tail  continued 
to  do  much  good  long  after  she  was  dead. 


THE   SQUIRRELS 
Tree-top  Neighbors 

"We've  found  the  very  thing  at  last!" 

"What  is  it?" 

"That  old  nest." 

"That  is  not  large  enough  for  us." 

"We  can  make  it  so.     It  is  a  fine  beginning." 

All  this  talk  went  on  in  the  oak  tree  that  shaded 
the  nursery  window. 

Even  sleepy  Alice  could  not  help  hearing  it. 
She  did  not  understand  a  word.  What  she  heard 
was  such  a  shrill  chatter  that  she  opened  her  sleepy 
eyes  to  listen.  Then  she  slipped  out  of  her  little 
bed  and  went  to  the  window  to  see  what  it  could  be 
that  was  making  so  much  noise  before  well-behaved 
people  were  up. 

She  soon  saw  what  it  was. 

145 


146  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

Up  and  down  the  tree,  in  and  out  among  the 
branches  two  squirrels  were  running  and  leaping. 
They  were  gray  on  their  backs  and  had  long  bushy 
tails  of  a  ruddy  brown. 


They  seemed  very  much  excited. 

"I  wish  I  could  understand  what  they  are  talk- 
ing about,"  thought  Alice. 

Then  she  looked  over  her  shoulder  to  the  little 
bed  that  stood  opposite  her  own. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and   Sea  147 

"Leonard,  Leonard,"  she  called,  in  a  loud  whis- 
per, "do  wake  up  and  come  here  quickly." 

"What  is  it?"  said  Leonard.  "Is  it  time  to 
get  up  ?" 

"Come  softly,"  she  said,  holding  up  her  linger 
in  warning.  With  a  hop  and  a  jump  Leonard  was 
by  her  side. 

"My!"  he  said,  holding  his  breath,  "what  frisky 
little  fellows!" 

"Hush!"   said  Alice;    "see  what  they  are  doing." 

"What  can  they  want  with  our  Dick's  nest?" 
asked  Leonard. 

Dick  was  an  old  black  crow  who  had  lived  in 
the  oak  tree  for  many  years.  But  the  summer 
before  he  had  died,  as  all  crows  must. 

As  the  children  watched,  they  saw  two  bushy 
tails  flourishing  wildly  in  the  air  as  a  shower  of  dirt 
and  sticks  fell  from  the  nest. 

"Good  morning,  children,"  called  mamma's  voice 
at  the  door.     "It  is  time  to  dress  now." 

After  breakfast  Alice  and  Leonard  ran  out  under 


148  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

the  trees  to  see  if  the  squirrels  were  still  there.  The 
chatter  had  ceased.  Not  a  sound  could  be  heard 
but  the  rustle  of  the  leaves  in  the  breeze. 

"They  must  have  gone  away,"  sa  d  Leonard. 

But  Alice  was  looking  towards  the  old  crow's 
nest. 

"What  is  that  over  Dick's  nest?"  she  wh's- 
pered. 

Then,  with  their  heads  close  together,  they  looked 
eagerly  through  the  leafy  branches.  The  tip  of  a 
bushy  tail  was  hanging  over  the  edge  of  the  nest 
and  waving  gently  in  the  breeze.  As  they  looked 
they  saw  four  bright  black  eyes  watching  them  from 
the  nest. 

The  squirrels  seemed  quite  at  home. 

"I  believe  they  are  going  to  live  here,"  said 
Alice. 

"Oh,  I  hope  they  will  stay,"  answered  Leonard, 
with  a  squeal  of  delight. 

"Hush!"  said  Alice;  "we  must  not  frighten 
them  away." 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


149 


The  two  little  squirrels  soon  became  acquainted 
with  their  neighbors.  It  did  not  take  long  for  them 
to  learn  that  the  bread  and  nuts  which  they  found 
under  the  tree  every  morning  came  from  the  hands 
of  their  little  friends,  into  whose  window  they  could 


peep  when  they  ran  out  on  the  branches  that  stretched 
that  way. 

Squirrel  Housekeeping 
But  much  went  on  in  the  nest  in  the  oak  tree 
that  Alice  and  Leonard  could  not  see.     Much  was 
said   there   that   they   could    not   have   understood   if 
they  had  heard  it. 


150  •   Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

The  home  of  the  crow  had  been  quite  made  over 
and  was  now  much  larger  than  when  old  Dick  had 
lived  in  it. 

With  long  tough  grasses  and  strong  twigs  the 
new  tenants  had  fastened  it  more  firmly  ;o  the  fork 
in  the  branches  where  it  rested.  They  had  lined  it 
with  soft,  fresh  leaves.  With  great  skill  they  had 
fastened  leaves  and  twigs  over  the  entrance  to  the 
nest,  which  not  only  protected  them  from  sun  and 
rain,  but  quite  hid  them  from  view. 

Hut  about  the  middle  of  summer  the  most  won- 
derful thing  of  all  happened. 

Three  tiny  baby  squ  rrels  came  to  live  in  the 
snug  little  nest.  The  father  and  mother  were  very 
proud  and  happy,  but  they  kept  their  secret  from 
even  Alice  and  Leonard  for  several  days.  The 
babies  grew  very  fast.  It  was  a  pretty  tight 
squeeze  for  the  whole  family  to  get  into  their  house 
•together.  But  they  did  it,  and  like  all  families 
who  live  close  together,  they  were  the  happier 
for  it. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 
First  Lessons 


5i 


One  morning  Alice  and  Leonard  scattered  an 
unusually  nice  breakfast  of  corn,  fresh  from  the 
garden,  under  the  tree.  Then  they  sat  down  on  the 
grass  at   a   little   distance  to   see   how  the   squirrels 


*&,    11) 

A,    Jf 

ipsgggi 

would  like  this  new  dainty.  First,  the  father  squirrel 
came.  He  took  a  nibble  and  then  ran  home  as  fast 
as  he  could  scamper.  In  a  moment  he  returned 
with  the  mother.  But  what  was  it  that  they  were 
carrying  in  their  mouths  so  carefully  ?     They  laid 


152  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

their  burdens  gently  on  the  grass  and  the  father 
skipped  away  up  the  tree  again. 

"Oh,  oh,"  whispered  Leonard  and  Alice  in  a 
breath,  "see  those  dear  little  baby  squirrels!" 

They  squeezed  each  other  by  the  hand  in  silent 
delight.  Not  for  worlds  would  they  frighten  their 
little  neighbors  now. 

When  the  father  returned,  he  laid  the  third  baby 
beside  the  other  two.  The  little  ones  began  to  hop 
about  on  the  grass  as  though  uncertain  of  their  legs. 
But  when  they  found  how  easy  it  was,  they  ran 
about  in  quite  a  lively  fashion. 

It  would  be  hard  to  tell  which  were  the  happier, 
the  father  and  mother  nibbling  the  fresh  corn  and 
chattering  to  their  children,  or  Alice  and  Leonard, 
as  quiet  as  mice,  lying  on  the  grass  not  far  away. 
As  the  little  ones  gained  courage  the  father  and 
mother  arched  their  heads  and  looked  at  their  little 
friends  near  by  with  sparkling  eyes.  "Were  there 
ever  such  wonderful  children  ?  "  their  shrill  voices 
seemed  to  say. 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  153 

But  the  sun  was  getting  warm.  The  babies  had 
had  a  wonderful  adventure  for  their  first.  So  the 
father  and  mother  took  them  back  to  the  nest,  as 
they  had  brought  them  from  it.  Soon  no  sound 
was  heard  in  the  oak  tree  and  only  the  tip  of  a  bushy 
tail  could  be  seen  above  the  edge  of  the  nest. 

After  this  the  little  ones  learned  rapidly.  It  was 
an  exciting  time  when  they  took  their  first  run 
among  the  branches  of  the  tree.  The  father  led 
the  way.  Swiftly  over  a  long  branch  he  ran.  The 
children  kept  their  bright  eyes  fastened  upon  him. 
When  he  reached  the  end,  he  turned  about  and 
sat  upon  his  haunches,  his  graceful  tail  arched  over 
his  back. 

"Come  quickly,  children,"  he  called. 

The  little  ones  scampered  nimbly  along  the 
branch  as  they  had  seen  him  go. 

"Now  come  back,"  called  the  mother  from  the 
door  of  the  house.  Back  they  came  as  fast  as  they 
went. 

When    they    became    strong   enough,    the    whole 


154  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

family  would  go  into  the  forest  not  far  away,  where 
they  would  stay  all  day.  Here  the  children  had 
many  lessons. 

One  day  the  father  took  them  into  a  walnut  tree 


to  show  them  how  the  nuts  were  growing.  Then 
he  leaped  to  the  branch  of  a  hickory  tree  near  by. 
It  was  enough  to  take  one's  breath  away  just  to 
look  at  him.  But  the  children  always  tried  to  do 
everything  he  did.     The  stronger  and  more  daring 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea  155 

one  followed.  He  reached  the  hickory  tree  safely. 
Then  the  next  one  tried.  He  succeeded,  but  it 
made  all  the  ruddy  hairs  on  his  bushy  tail  bristle 
to  do  it.  Then  came  the  little  sister,  not  so  strong 
as  her  brothers.  Her  leap  was  too  short,  and  she 
began  to  fall. 

"Spread  your  feet  and  tail  quickly,"  called  the 
mother. 

She  did  so.  They  were  almost  as  good  as  wings 
and  the  little  squirrel  descended  to  the  ground  as 
safely  and  lightly  as  a  bird.  They  had  no  fear  after 
this  of  going  to  the  most  dangerous  places. 

It  seemed  as  though  they  thought  of  nothing  but 
play,  so  happy  and  gay  they  were.  But  even  while 
they  played  they  were  thinking  of  work.  As  they 
ran  up  the  nut  trees  their  bright  eyes  were  always 
open  to  see  how  the  nuts  were  growing. 

Using  Sharp  Teeth 

One  day  when  the  children  were  skipping  about 
the   branches   of  a    large   butternut   tree,   they   saw 


156  Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 

three  large  nuts  hanging  from  the  tip  of  a  twig  over 
their  heads. 

"How  fine  they  are,"  said  the  little  sister,  reach- 
ing her  paws  toward  the  tempting  twig.  "I  wish 
we  could  get  them  and  take  them  home  to  mother." 


"I  believe  I  can  get  them,"  said  the  big 
brother. 

He  ran  lightly  along  the  branch  upon  which 
they  hung,  until  it  bent  with  his  weight.  The  nuts 
were  just  beyond  his  reach.  He  brought  his  sharp 
teeth  together  upon  the  tender  twig  and  the  nuts 
fell  to  the  ground.  Such  a  scamper  as  there  was 
down    the    tree    to    see   who    should   get   them    first. 


Furry  Folks  of   Land   and   Sea  157 

The   nuts  had   parted  in  falling,   so  each  took  one 
and  ran  home. 

"How  did  you  get  them?"  asked  the  mother, 
as  she  saw  the  green  twig  to  which  one  of  the  nuts 
still  clung. 

"This  way,"  laughed  the  little  squirrel  taking 
the  twig  between  his  sharp  teeth. 

"Open  your  mouths,  every  one  of  you,"  said  the 
father. 

As  they  obeyed  he  examined  their  bright,  chisel- 
like teeth. 

"No  fear  of  the  nuts  being  too  hard  for  you," 
he  said,  nodding  his  head.  "Those  teeth  could  cut 
the  hardest  shell." 

"Is  it  not  time  for  us  to  begin  laying  up  our 
winter  supply?"  asked  the  mother.  "The  acorns 
are  ripe  and  the  nuts  will  be  soon." 

Going  into  Winter  Quarters 

"We  must  choose  our  winter  house  first,"  an- 
swered the  father. 


158 


Furry  Folks  of  Land  and  Sea 


"Then  we  can  begin." 

Alice  and  Leonard  felt  very  sorry  when  they 
found  that  the  squirrels  had  left  their  summer  nest. 
They  often  saw  them  among  the  trees,  but  they  did 


te  «f  ^ 


not  know  of  the  new  and  safer  house  in  the  hollow 
limb  of  another  oak  tree  not  far  away.  Through  a 
hole  in  this  hollow  limb  the  squirrels  carried  leaves 
and  straw  with  which  they  made  a  soft,  warm 
nest. 


Furry   Folks   of   Land    and    Sea  159 

Then  the  busy  time  began.  Only  the  best  of 
nuts  and  acorns  would  do. 

"Take  none  but  perfect  ones,  children,"  warned 
the  mother. 

It  was  wonderful  how  quickly  they  learned  to 
know  which  ones  to  choose.  Not  a  tree  that  they 
had  watched  during  the  summer  was  forgotten. 
Each  morning  as  soon  as  the  daylight*  appeared 
they  were  up  and  away.  Such  jolly,  busy  times  as 
they  had!  It  would  have  taken  too  long  to  carry  all 
the  nuts  to  the  house  in  the  hollow  oak  tree.  So 
every  hollow  tree  they  found  was  turned  into  a 
store-house.  And  when  the  long  winter  came,  not 
one  was  forgotten. 

Summer  was  fast  flying  away.  Autumn,  the 
time  of  falling  nuts  and  ripening  corn,  was  at  hand. 

One  day,  as  they  were  having  a  jolly  chase  upon 
an  old  rail-fence,  they  came  to  a  corn-field  where 
the  goden  ears  were  hanging  ready  for  the  harvest. 
With  a  rush  and  chatter  they  leaped  from  the  fence 
and  went  to  work.     The  farmer  who  had  planted 


i6o 


Furry   Folks   of  Land   and   Sea 


the  corn  never  knew  how  comfortable  one  little 
family  was  made  through  the  long,  cold  winter 
by  that  which  they  hid  away  without  per- 
mission. 

"It  will  be  a  cold  winter,"  said  the  father  squirrel 
one   day,   as  he   examined   the   long  coat   that   was 


C\  \\\a.V   sloe 


growing  thickly  on  his  tawny  breast.  "  But  we  need 
have  no  fear.  We  can  keep  warm  and  we  shall  have 
plenty  to  eat." 

One  n  ght  it  grew  very  cold.     They  were  glad  to 
creep  close  together  in  their  snug  little  house.     But 


Furry   Folks   of   Land   and   Sea  161 

in  the  morning  a  fresh  breeze  sprang  up.     How  the 
nuts  d'd  rattle  to  the  ground! 

Going  Nutting 

"Oh,  mamma,"  said  Alice,  running  into  the 
breakfast-room,  "let  us  go  nutting  to-day!" 

So  they  took  the  cart  and  drove  over  the  river 
where  they  knew  so  many  nuts  could  be  found. 
But  others  were  there  before  them. 

"See  those  squirrels  under  the  trees,"  said 
Leonard. 

"They  are  our  own  little  neighbors,"  said 
mamma;  "don't  you  see?  I  believe  they  know  us. 
See  how  they  turn  their  heads  and  look  at  us  out 
of  the  corners  of  their  eyes." 

"Let  us  watch  them,"  said  Alice,  forgetting  the 
nuts. 

The  little  squirrels  did  not  pause  a  moment  in 
their  work.  They  picked  up  the  nuts  and  ran  away 
with  them,  only  to  come  back  for  more. 

"I  wonder  where  they  put  them,"  said  Leonard. 


1 62  Furry   Folks   of   Land   and   Sea 

But  this  was  a  secret  that  the  squirrels  would 
not  tell  even  to  such  good  friends  as  they. 

A  Squirrel  Sail 

When  lunch  time  came  the  children  and  their 
mamma  sat  on  the  shady  bank  of  the  river  to  eat 
and  rest.  Soon  they  heard  a  rustle  among  the  dry 
leaves  under  the  trees.  Then  they  saw  five  yellow- 
ish-brown tails  whisk  through  the  air  and  five  little 
gray  bodies  skip  down  to  the  river's  brink.  They 
paused,  then  ran  one  way  and  then  another. 
Finally,  as  though  there  was  no  help  for  .'t,  the 
father  squirrel  dashed  into  the  water.  The  three 
children  followed.  They  held  their  heads  well  up 
to  keep  the  precious  nuts  in  their  mouths  from 
getting  wet.     So  they  swam  swiftly  to  the  o  her  side. 

But  the  mother  squirrel  was  a  dainty  creature. 
She  did  not  like  to  get  wet,  if  she  could  help  it. 
Back  and  forth,  along  he  water's  edge  she  ran. 
At  last,  spying  a  piece  of  bark  floating  upon  the 
water,  she  paused  and  looked  at  i    critically.     Then 


Furry   Folks   of   Land   and    Sea  163 

she  jumped  lightly  upon  it;  arching  her  tail  over 
her  back.  The  breeze  was  in  her  favor.  Spread- 
ing her  tail  to  catch  it,  she  drifted  slowly  to  the 
opposite   shore.     Here  the  father  and  children  were 


skipping  about  drying  themselves  in  the  warm  sun- 
shine. 

When  Alice  and  Leonard  saw  the  cunning  device 
of  the  mother  squirrel  they  were  silent  with  wonder. 
When  they  saw  her  actually  succeed  in  her  under- 


164  Furry   Folks   of   Land   and   Sea 

taking  a  shout  rang  from  their  lips  that  echoed  in 
the  forest  and  sent  the  little  family  scampering  home 
as  fast  as  they  could  go. 

A  Winter's  Sleep 
The  winter  was   bitterly  cold.     The   snow  was 


very  deep.  But  what  cared  the  little  family  in  the  snug 
nest  in  the  hollow  oak  tree  ?  There  they  lay  sound 
asleep,  wrapped  in  their  fur  coats  that  had  grown 
very  warm  and  thick  as  the  winter  drew  near.  Theil 
work  was  done.     They  had  no  carec  nor  worries. 


Furry   Folks   of   Land   and   Sea  165 

So  they  slept,  not,  as  many  animals,  do  with  out 
waking.  They  woke  when  they  were  hungry,  to 
partake  of  the  bountiful  store  beside  them.  But 
before  the  long  winter  was  past,  the  supply  of  nuts 
in  the  oak  tree  gave  out.  Then  on  bright  sunny 
days  they  skipped  over  the  snow  to  their  other  store- 
houses, which  no  amount  of  snow  could  make  them 
forget.  Here  they  would  eat  until  they  could  eat 
no  more,  then  go  home  and  sleep  again. 

But  the  spring-time  came  and  with  it  fresh  green 
leaves  and  fresh  tender  grass.  The  little  squirrels, 
grown  to  be  big  ones,  now  left  the  home  nest  and 
made  homes  of  their  own.  The  father  and  mother 
went  back  to  the  happy  home  in  an  oak  tree.  Alice 
and  Leonard  joyfully  welcomed  them  back. 


FACTS   IN    STORIES 

FIVE   LITTLE   FOXES 

Burrow  in  which  common  fox  lives. 

How  obtained. 

Great  caution  of  fox  on  leaving  burrow. 

Where  young  are  born. 

Time  of  birth  (Spring). 

Food  of  fox. 

Young  taught  to  eat  animal  food  from  the  first. 

Care  of  parents  for  young. 

Appearance  of  old  fox. 

Appearance  of  young. 

Eyes  adapted  to  seeing  in  dark. 

Habits  nocturnal. 

Protection  of  young  by  mother. 

Instruction  of  young  by  parents. 

Different  coloring  often  found  in  same  family. 

Leave  burrow  for  grain  field  about  July. 

Separation  of  pair  upon  removal  from  burrow. 

Parents  sacrifice  themselves  for  young. 

Characteristics  of  fox. 

Enemies  of  fox:  —  man,  dogs. 

Use  to  man  —  destroyers    of    troublesome    animals    and    insects. 

Fur. 
Often  feign  death  when  hard  pressed. 
Late  in  fall  separation  of  family. 

167 


168  Furry   Folks   of   Land   and   Sea 

THE   SEALS 

Where  seals  are  found.     Use  of  seal  to  the  Eskimos. 

Mode  of  hunting  seals  in  winter  —  how  found. 

Winter  house  of  Eskimos  called  "igloo." 

Summer  house  called  "tupic."     The  "blow-hole"  of  the  seals. 

How  and  why  they  come  to  these  holes 

Nostrils  closed  in  water.     Eyes  and  ears  of  seals. 

Nose  most  sensitive  part. 

Description  of  hair  seal  of  Greenland  —  uses  of. 

The  Alaska  seal  —  the  fur  seal.     Preparation  of  fur  skins. 

Preparation  of  skins  by  Eskimo.     Appearance  of  old  seals. 

Appearance  of  young.     Care  of  young  —  where  born. 

Seals  gregarious  animals 

Awkwardness  on  land. 

Ease  and  grace  in  swimming. 

Where  seals  are  found  in  summer. 

Signal  in  danger  —  timidity  of  seals. 

Seals  sleep  in  sunshine,  play  in  storm. 

Food  of  seal. 

Enemies  of  seal  —  white  bear   man. 

THE   OTTERS 

Description  of  otter. 

Young  born  blind. 

Devotion  of  mother  to  young. 

Otters  expert  at  fishing  and  swimming. 

Food  —  fish. 

Carry  fish  to  land  to  eat  —  how  held. 

Only  seek  land  to  eat  or  search  for  food. 

Manner  of  walking. 

Home  of  otter  —  have  many  homes  —  why? 

Value  to  man  —  fur. 


Furry   Folks  of   Land   and   Sea  169 

Enemies  —  man,  dogs. 

Most  destructive  to  fisheries  —  discard  heads  and  tails  when  fish 
are  plenty 

Night  the  time  for  going  about. 

Often  pass  near  houses. 

Favorite  amusement  —  coasting  on  mud-banks  in  summer,  snow- 
covered  hillsides  in  winter. 

Breathing  holes  in  ice. 

Seek  falls  in  winter  —  why  ? 

Attain  full  growth  at  three  years  of  age. 

THE   BEAVERS 

Different  length  of  beavers'  legs. 

Use  of  tail  (the  old  belief  in  the  use  of  the  tail  as  a  trowel  is  now 

discarded). 
How  beavers  swim. 
Reason  of  webbed  feet. 
Food  of  beavers. 
Community  life  of  beavers. 
How  beavers  cut  down  trees. 
Which  bark  is  preferred? 
Length  of  beavers. 
Building  dams. 

One  beaver  on  guard  to  warn  of  danger. 
Description  of  a  beaver's  dam. 
Building  houses:  how  and  why  they  are  built. 
Family  life  of  beavers. 
Why  beavers  are  killed  by  men.     Use  to  man. 

THE   BEARS 

Hibernation.     Place  of  retreat. 

How  this  place  is  often  discovered  (by  melted  snow). 

Reason  hibernation  takes  place  in  cold  countries  and  not  in  warm. 


170  Furry   Folks  of   Land   and   Sea 

Examination  of  surroundings  before  going  to  sleep. 

Shape  of  head.     The  favorite  food.     When  animals  are  eaten. 

Condition  at  birth.     Manner  of  walking.     Care  of  young. 

Teaching  of  young.     Appearance  of  young.     Appearance  of  old. 

Playfulness  of  cubs. 

Swiftness  in  running.     Skill  in  climbing  and  swimming. 

Manner  of  bathing  young.     Manner  of  carrying  young. 

Older  cub  kept  to  care  for  younger;   called  by  Russian  peasants 

"child  nurse." 
Mode  of  punishment. 
Follow  same  path  day  after  day. 
Love  of  sweets  —  honey. 

Resemblance  of  foot-prints  to  man's  —  difference. 
Uses  to  man  —  skin,  flesh.     Unmolested,  seldom  attack  man. 
Defence  of  young.     Bees.     Sucking  their  paws  —  why  ? 
Mother  and  son  separate  to  hibernate.     Appearance  of  Black  Bear. 

THE   RACCOONS 

Condition  of  raccoon  at  birth. 

Resemblance  to  rats. 

Appearance  when  grown. 

Eyes  not  open  until  three  weeks  old. 

Number  at  birth,  four  to  six. 

Home  of  raccoon. 

Knows  many  hollow  trees  —  chooses  one  as  "nest  tree." 

Manner  of  hunting  raccoons. 

Uses  to  man  —  flesh,  fur. 

Foot  of  raccoon. 

Manner  of  using  feet. 

Food.     Mode  of  preparing  food. 

Manner  of  obtaining  food. 

Fondness  for  water. 

Especially  fond  of  fish  and  green  corn. 


Furry   Folks   of   Land   and   Sea  171 

Disposition  of  raccoon  —  moody,  tricky,  playful. 

Make  amusing  but  untrustworthy  pets. 

Care  of  young  —  call  of  raccoon. 

Young  remain  with  mother  a  year. 

Position  while  sleeping. 

Winter  sleep. 

Enemies  —  man,  dogs. 

THE   RABBITS 

Preparation  of  nest. 

Condition  at  birth. 

Preservation  of  the  children. 

Concealment  from  the  father. 

Home  in  the  woods. 

Enemies  of  the  rabbit. 

Protection  from  enemies  (color,  acute  hearing  and  sight  and  fleet- 

ness  of  foot). 
Distinction  between  "Molly  Cotton-tails"  and  "Jack  Rabbits." 
Going  into  the  open  country  at  night  for  sport  and  food. 
Preparation  for  winter. 
Form  of  footprints  in  snow. 
Signal  for  danger. 

Their  food  and  destruction  of  gardens. 
Use  to  man  for  food  and  fur. 


/ERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW  


JUL    y   191S 


JUL  3*16203^ 


30ml, '15 


>s4, 


SOU 

9/>fS 
361165 


